Speakers
Description
Bed and chair alarms have traditionally been used in long-term care to reduce falls risk; however, evidence supporting their effectiveness is limited, and alarms may negatively impact resident dignity, autonomy, and quality of life. Building on existing implementation of the RNAO Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls Best Practice Guideline, Faith Manor undertook a quality improvement initiative to further enhance evidence-based, person-directed falls prevention practices through the removal of falls-related alarms.
The aim of this project was to evaluate the impact of eliminating bed and chair alarms on falls outcomes within a long-term care home.
In July 2025, a pilot project was undertaken in the Sunshine Springs neighbourhood to remove all falls-related alarms. Existing falls prevention strategies, including purposeful hourly rounding, individualized care planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and environmental safety practices, remained in place. Following positive pilot outcomes, all Faith Manor neighbourhoods eliminated bed and chair alarms in August 2025. Falls data were monitored through organizational quality indicators and compared over time.
The pilot neighbourhood experienced fewer falls during the implementation period than in preceding months. Following organization-wide alarm removal, annual falls decreased from 356 in 2024 to 286 in 2025, representing a 19.7% reduction. Early sustainability data demonstrated continued improvement, with falls decreasing from 82 in the first quarter of 2025 to 71 in the first quarter of 2026, a further 13.4% reduction. Importantly, the removal of alarms did not result in an increase in falls.
This initiative demonstrated that bed and chair alarms can be safely eliminated within a comprehensive falls prevention program. The project supports the de-implementation of interventions that may provide limited benefit and offers a scalable model for advancing evidence-based, person-directed care in long-term care.
Author(s) Credentials and Title
Kaitlan Laviolette, MN, NP, GNC(C), BPSO & Clinical Pathway Lead
Olasupo Ayeni, RN, OCT
What RNAO BPG or tool/toolkit is your abstract related to?
Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls Best Practice Guideline, 2017
| Organization Name | Faith Manor - Holland Christian Homes |
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