Press release
From: Smart Caller NZ Ltd
EMFIT® bedmat a ‘God-send’ for an Otago mum
The day that CCS Invercargill researched and arranged for a trial of an EMFIT® bedmat was a life changing experience for
Shona Smith and her daughter Katie.
The Epicare™ bed monitoring system monitors a person with epilepsy who is sleeping. Sensor technology detects all of a
person’s movements and it differentiates normal movements from epileptic seizures. Epicare™ alarms when the person is
experiencing the convulsion phase of a seizure.
Nine year old Katie has Dosse syndrome (an acute form of epilepsy that has eight different active seizures). Before
using the EMFIT® mattress Shona didn’t feel safe to sleep, or leave her daughter alone in her bedroom.
``My life was continually on auto-pilot before getting the mattress’’, says Shona.
``If I slept through Katie’s seizures and she had over five minutes of seizures it could potentially become
life-threatening, particularly as Katie was prone to have cluster seizures that sometimes last most of the night.’’
``You can imagine the effect this had on me. I effectively never had any uninterrupted sleep – but with the use of the
EMFIT® bedmat that slips under Katie’s mattress, I could sleep in my own bed, knowing that you could trust the
EMFIT®alarm, and knowing Katie was being monitored allows me to get periods of sleep.’’ says Shona.
Katie can also lead a more independent life secure in the knowledge that the alarm would alert her mum to a seizure.
Developed in Finland, EMFIT® sensors are extremely sensitive. They measure the slightest touch, breath, heartbeat and
movement of a person. The products are an invaluable tool for high care patients.
For Shona these products were life changing and made managing the incidents of her daughter’s epilepsy seizures more
manageable.
For more information visit www.smartcaller.co.nz and look under Highcare, Overview
ENDS
NOTES:
The bedmat product is a bed seizure alarm that is part of a new generation of Epicare ™ bed-monitoring system to secure
a person with epilepsy. Also in this range are highcare products for dementia to assist independent living. Smart Caller
NZ Ltd is a registered distributor of EMFIT® products and distributor of Nurse call systems and BluePhone medical alarm.
Emfit Epileptic Seizure Alarm
WHAT IS IT?
Emfit's epileptic seizure alarm monitors a sleeping person with epilepsy. Patented sensor technology detects when a
person has convulsive seizures and triggers an alarm. It can also alarm when a person leaves the bed. This can be useful
for those who have a tendency to wander unconsciously after a non-convulsive seizure during sleep, or in cases where the
person leaves the bed and does not return to the bed within a preset time. Third alarm type included is a
hyperventilation seizure alarm for those who may have this kind of epileptic seizure.
WHY IS IT NEEDED?
Recurrent epileptic seizures can be avoided by alarming the nurse as the seizures emerge. There are about 40 different
types of seizures and one person may have several types. Over 50% of people with epilepsy are normally seizure free.
With optimal treatment this figure is even higher. One of the triggers for a seizure is non-compliant medication.HOW IT WORKS?
Emfit epileptic seizure alarm consists of a film-like sensor and a control unit. The dynamic film-like bed sensor is
placed under the mattress and it detects the slightest movements of the person lying on it – even heartbeat and
respiration. The sensor is attached to the control unit with a connection wire. When a person has convulsive seizures
such as tonic-clonic shakings or similar continued movements that last over a preset time, which can be 7, 13 or 20
seconds, the alarm is triggered. The sensor can also notice partial convulsions and the tiniest movements. It is also
suitable for small children.
Hyperventilation seizure alarm can be enabled with a switch. When switch is enabled the slower frequency movements
trigger the alarm as hyper-ventilation seizures.
There is also an alarm for detecting when a person leaves the bed without returning to the bed within a preset time.
This can be useful for persons with a tendency to wander unconsciously after a non-convulsive seizure during sleep.
Presence and absence notification is based on noticing the heart rate and respiration of the person in bed. The sensor
does not have weight limits, making it also suitable for children.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Epileptic seizure alarm is a great help for parents who a have children with epilepsy. It is also helpful in
complimentary professional care where individuals are concerned about having seizures over night. As the bed sensor does
not have any weight limits, it is suitable for children as well as adults. It should be noted that also movements caused
by itching, for example, can cause alarms