A monitoring system and method for early detection of fall risk. A rise-state of a subject occupying a bed is detected. In response to the detection of the rise-state, blood pressure measurement of the subject is triggered. An alarm when the measured blood pressure is not within a selected range of blood pressures.

A patient monitoring and repositioning system includes a mattress, a sheet residing on an upper surface of the mattress, a housing containing a drive mechanism, and a sensor adapted to sense a position of a patient resting on the mattress. The drive mechanism is operable to pull the sheet and thereby pull the patient resting thereon. The housing receives the sheet through a slot. In the event that the patient is in an undesirable position on the mattress as detected by the sensor, a controller directs the drive mechanism to pull the sheet so as to pull the patient thereon from the undesirable position to a desirable, predetermined position. The controller may direct the drive mechanism automatically or indicate the undesirable position to a caregiver so that the caregiver may direct the drive mechanism accordingly.

A ceiling lift tilt management system includes first and second motor units, which are attachable to a rail system of a medical care facility. Each motor unit includes a flexible strap, which can be coiled or uncoiled within the motor unit to raise or lower a spreader bar attached thereto. Coiling or uncoiling of the straps can cause raising or lowering of a sling attached to the spreader bars. The system also allows for tilting of the spreader bars by coiling or uncoiling a leading motor unit strap. The system includes a control system that measures the relative lengths of the two straps in order to ensure that relative tilt between the spreader bars does not exceed a threshold. Once a threshold tilt for height difference is reached, further user requests for additional tilting are prohibited. Patient comfort and safety are therefore ensured.

A multi-link device includes a load tension pin including a sensor configured to measure tension applied to the load tension pin, network interface hardware, one or more processors, and one or more memory modules storing computer readable and executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the multi-link device to: determine whether the tension measured by the load tension pin exceeds a threshold value; and transmit, by the network interface hardware, load event data to a receiver in response to determination that the tension exceeds the threshold value.

A patient transfer system is provided. The patient transfer system comprises a lifting mechanism, an actuator unit attached to the lifting mechanism, two conveyors attached to the actuator unit such that they extend from the actuator unit in a forklift fork-like manner, wherein the conveyors respectively have a conveyor belt and opposite reversing ends reversing the conveyor belt. The actuator unit is configured to move the conveyors such that the reversing ends facing each other are linearly movable towards and apart from each other.

A management device is used in an assistive device configured to assist an erecting action and a seating action of a care receiver and records, as a log data, an action history including erecting actions and seating actions. The management device for the assistive device includes a detecting section for detecting, in the log data, a cycle action executed in the order of the erecting action and then the seating action, and a determination section for determining, based on the log data, whether the cycle action detected is a transfer action in which the care receiver is transferred.

An automated system and methods are provided for coordinating a transfer of a patient between patient support apparatuses. The system includes first and second patient support apparatuses having a patient support surface supported by an adjustable frame. A controller is provided and is configured to communicate with at least one of the first and second patient support apparatuses. The controller includes programmable instructions to coordinate automated movements of at least one of the patient support apparatuses in order to couple the support apparatuses at a preferential transfer position, engage or monitor at least one safety feature, and provide an indication that it is safe to transfer the patient between the first and second patient support apparatuses.

One or more radar sensors can be used to monitor patients in a variety of different environments and embodiments. In one embodiment, radar sensors can be used to monitor a patient's breathing, including monitoring of tidal volume, chest expansion distance, breathing rate, etc. In another embodiment, a patient position can be monitored in a patient bed, which can be used as feedback for control of bladders of a patient bed. Additional embodiments are described herein.

Systems, methods and techniques for operating a patient support apparatus are disclosed. The patient support apparatus includes a support structure including a base and a patient support surface to support a patient. The patient support apparatus also includes an actuator coupled to the support structure and operable to move the patient support surface. The actuator is configured to receive an applied voltage and an applied electrical current, and to produce an output power, where the applied electrical current varies based on different loads applied to the actuator. A controller is coupled to the actuator to determine a desired output power of the actuator and to control the actuator such that the output power produced by the actuator is controlled relative to the desired output power by modifying the applied voltage to compensate for the different loads being applied to the actuator.

A patient lift for lifting and lowering a patient. Cable or rope may be used as the lifting element. The spool winds the lifting element in successive adjacent winds. The operator lifts the patient by pushing up on the carry bar, patient or lifting element, and lowers the patient by pushing down on such elements. The lift includes automatic loading and unloading for transition on or off the bed.