Cera has developed and launched AI that predicts people falling at home a week before it happens with 83% accuracy.
The health tech company that helps deliver social care across the UK is rolling out the AI to dramatically improve social care and prevent hospitalisations.
Cera’s carers and nurses deliver 50,000 home visits per day to patients on behalf of the NHS and local authorities across the UK. They are able to input key indicators such as a poor sleep or a change in mood into the Cera SmartCare App on a smartphone.
This information is then used by Cera’s Fall Prediction AI to accurately predict who is most at risk of a fall. It can predict a fall with 83% accuracy up to a week before it happens, enabling carers to intervene to prevent people falling at home.
The AI technology is not replacing any task currently delivered by a human, unlike many recent AI breakthroughs, and requires the in-person human interaction of a carer or nurse and their patient.
If applied to all people over the age of 65 years old currently receiving social care in England, Cera’s new AI could predict around 10,000 falls related hospitalisations per year, week before they occur, making a significant impact on the NHS.
Dr Ben Maruthappa MBE, founder and CEO of Cera, said: “Cera has been pioneering technology and AI in home healthcare for several years. This breakthrough could stop thousands of elderly people from falling over and ending up in hospitals.
“It is avoidable, and we want to work with local authorities and the NHS to stop these falls and deliver better care. This not only helps people live longer healthier lives in their own homes, but in turn also reduces pressures on the NHS and has the potential to save up to £550 million per year.”
Cera is launching Falls Prediction AI across the UK, including Wiltshire, Wirral, Yorkshire South and West, Essex and Havering, Abercynon and Forth Valley.
Falls prediction is not the only area where Cera are using AI. In December, we reported that the company was trialling an AI voice assistant healthcare model in a bid to reduce visits to A&E departments.
But with 223,101 hospitalisations as a result of a fall by people over the age of 65 in 2021/22, Cera is placing emphasis on falls prevention.
Charlotte Donald, director of operations at Cera Care, said: “Most families who have an elderly relative will have experienced the impact or fear them falling.
“Falls are painful, some people never fully recover from a fall and those who do tend to lose some confidence in themselves and their independence.
“Preventing one person from falling is significant, being able to prevent tens of thousands is nothing short of groundbreaking. The Cera team of carers and nurses cannot wait to get started.”