French elderly care provider again turns to Ascom to help improve residents’ comfort and safety

GOTHENBURG, Sweden–(BUSINESS WIRE)–L’Association
du Sacré Cœur—an elderly care organization that operates two
residential care facilities, a drop-in center, and other services in the
Niort and Cherveux areas of western France—has again chosen Ascom
wireless communication solutions as part of an ongoing modernization
program.

“It’s of course wonderful to help an organization such as L’Association
du Sacré Cœur provide even better care,” says Philippe Billet, Managing
Director of Ascom France. ”But the order also illustrates how Ascom
cooperates with care providers over time to constantly improve care
quality, residents’ safety and staff satisfaction.”

L’Association du Sacré Cœur ordered its first Ascom solutions in 1992,
with the installation of an Ascom nurse call system. The organization
again chose Ascom when it decided in 1995 to install a Digital Enhanced
Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) solution. The latest order is part of
a major extension and renovation program that began in 2010, and
involves the installation of a wanderer monitoring solution, and an
upgrade in staff members’ mobile handsets.

“This solution,” adds Billet, “combines 30 Ascom teleCARE IP wireless
transceivers with carefully located radio base stations. The
transceivers are worn by residents who are at risk of becoming
disoriented or lost, and come as either tastefully designed and
ergonomic wristbands or pendants. The system transmits very precise
location data to caregivers’ handsets, helping staff respond quickly and
efficiently should a resident appear to be wandering outside
pre-determined boundaries within the 11,000m² of the two
residential care facilities.”

The latest order from L’Association du Sacré Cœur also includes updates
to Ascom middleware, the software that joins the various components of a
wireless communication solution into a seamless whole. Ascom middleware
also provides L’Association du Sacré Cœur with event traceability,
device management tools and response time statistics.

Commenting on this latest phase of Ascom’s cooperation with
L’Association du Sacré Cœur, the organization’s Managing Director, Jean
Pierre Bacle, says: “Ascom’s communications solutions have been really
beneficial to our residents. Deploying a DECT-based system, for example,
made it possible for residents to communicate directly with staff
members. We’ve also seen real, measurable improvements in our care
teams’ response times. And by installing the Ascom wanderer monitor and
control system, we’ve definitely enhanced safety and quality of life for
residents—giving them the freedom they need to move and socialize, while
minimizing risk.”

Ascom and L’Association du Sacré Cœur are currently working on
developing a combined WiFi- and GSM-based solution. “Such a solution,”
says Billet, “can have a major and positive impact on how care is
provided. For instance, making it possible for staff to receive clinical
data and alerts will make it possible for some residents to remain
longer in assisted living accommodation. Anything that enables a person
to remain in his or her own home and to live with dignity, comfort and
safety is to be welcomed. Our pending Ascom solution will help us
achieve this valuable goal.”

About Ascom Wireless Solutions

Founded in 1955, Ascom Wireless Solutions, a division of Ascom AG,
provides mission critical ICT for global healthcare. Today, more than
100,000 of our systems are installed in hospitals, senior care and
independent living facilities and any business areas where mission
critical communication is vital. Above all, we are dedicated to making a
difference in healthcare.

Contacts

Ascom France
Celine Costantini, Communications Manage
Phone: +
33 1476 96 492
Email: celine.costantini@ascom.fr