Summary

In 2023, Cypress Living, a resource for senior living care, was looking for a comprehensive fall detection system and an alternative to traditional life safety systems for its new Independent Living (IL) development, The Oaks, in Ft. Myers, Florida. With its use of optical sensors, artificial intelligence, sleek design, and ability to detect 100% of falls, the Nobi Smart Light was the ideal solution to keep residents safe while offering a sense of dignity and freedom.

With data showing that 91% of falls in IL facilities happen in the bathroom, the Nobi Smart Light and the smaller Nobita were installed in the master bathrooms of 48 residences at The Oaks. Residents began moving into The Oaks in January 2024.

The Problem: Impact of Falls in the US

Mobility, balance issues, and muscle weakness increase fall risk in older adults, who often live longer with chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and arthritis. These illnesses and their treatments further elevate fall risk. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older, posing significant challenges for seniors, care facilities, and the healthcare system.

US Fall Facts

EVERY YEAR

  • +14 million 
    falls *

  • 1 in 4 older adults falls *

  • $50 billion on medical fall related costs *
* https://www.cdc.gov/falls/pdf/CDC-DIP_At-a-Glance_Falls_508.pdf

THE PAST 10 YEARS

  • 60% increase of older adult fall deaths **

  • 20% increase of emergency department visits **
** https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/older-adult-falls/

Because The Oaks is an independent living facility it became even more important for executives at Cypress Living to find a life safety system that not only alerts team members to a fall after the fact – but helps prevent falls in the first place.

The Solution

Typical life safety systems haven’t evolved with technology and still require someone to pull a cord or press a button when they need help. There are serious limitations to these systems because the reality is that people don’t always have the ability to do those things – or may not even be conscious when they need help, especially after a fall.

Cypress Living VP of Innovation Joe Velderman recognized these limitations and the significant advantages that the Nobi lights offer.

He turned to Nobi and its advanced AI capabilities to help with the prevention and detection of falls.

How do Nobi Smart Lights work?

Nobi continually scans the room with optical and sound sensors, with its AI capabilities recognizing objects and people in the room and analyzing their position (in or out of bed, in or out of bathroom, on the floor, etc.). Based on this, Nobi lights up the room when someone leaves the bed at night, sounds an alarm when a resident has fallen, and gives care staff insight into residents' well-being and health through behavioral monitoring.

How is it implemented at The Oaks?

  • Prevention

    Optical sensors in the lights automatically detect motion when a resident walks in to the bathroom and the light turns on to help prevent conditions where falling is a greater possibility.

  • Detection

    In the event of a fall, team members are immediately alerted and contacts the resident. If there is no answer or the resident needs help, the team member is able to respond immediately. The Nobi system also has the capability to program family members into the system to receive a call if a fall occurs. 

“We came here because we wanted to feel secure as we age and wanted to be confident about the care that we will need sometime in the future. From a safety perspective, at The Oaks we have the Nobi device and it really gives us confidence and peace of mind and lets the staff know if we need help. For example, if we were to fall, then the Nobi device actually knows that somebody fell – or maybe fell and then security calls to check on us.”  

Samira Beckwith, The Oaks at Cypress Cove Resident

100% Privacy protection

Safety without sacrificing privacy is especially important to residents who rely on Cypress Cove and the Nobi brand. 

“Nobi is a great practical example of using artificial intelligence to look for behavior changes. Because Nobi is implementing AI in real time, the processing is on the device rather than the cloud—and that’s great from a privacy perspective. The AI is looking for a rapid change in posture, a decline in posture, and creating a conversation around that before it creates an alert. For fall detection and prevention, this is key.”

 Joe Velderman, Vice President Innovation, Cypress Living

How Nobi protects your privacy

  • Residents can choose their level of privacy with the Nobi system – no image, a anonymized stick figure, or a full image can be transmitted after a fall.
  • If there are no falls, no images are shared to the cloud. Each Nobi light handles all computing locally on its own powerful processor.

  • Depending on the privacy settings, and only in the event of a fall, Nobi will store images in the cloud for care professionals to better assess the required care following a fall and to prevent future falls. Images can only be viewed by team members, sending them to others and taking screenshots is prohibited by the system. Images are also automatically deleted 14 days after the fall.

“The Nobi system isn’t intrusive at all. You don’t feel like you are being monitored – you feel like you are being protected.”

Samira Beckwith, The Oaks at Cypress Cove Resident

an older adult reading a book at sunset

“The Nobi solution gives The Oaks residents a more passive way to stay safe – the system monitors them and allows them to live their lives without constantly being worried about being next to a pull cord or tethered to a button. This gives residents a lot of freedom, a lot of dignity, and the opportunity to be safe in their living spaces.”

 Joe Velderman, Vice President of Innovation, Cypress Living

Nobi in a nutshell

✔ Enhances dignity with sleek design

✔ Pull cord-free for guaranteed assistance after a fall

✔ Expands coverage in high-risk fall 
areas

✔ Improves fall event awareness

✔ Prevents future falls with AI technology

✔ Prolongs residents' independence

✔ 100% privacy protection

“I’m 82 years old and it just gives you a peace – or a secure feeling to know that the Nobi device is always there.”

Jim Sievers, The Oaks at Cypress Cove Resident

“Every single resident has an appreciation for the intentionality our organization has put behind the selection of Nobi as part of our life safety platform. I think residents realized what we realized: the pull cord system has gotten us to where we are today but is not the best solution moving forward. Between the beautifully designed light fixture – which helps ensure dignity – the optical sensor and AI, Nobi is just a better choice when it comes to detecting and preventing falls.”

Joe Velderman, Vice President of Innovation, Cypress Living

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