PainChek is a new mobile phone app that uses facial recognition to allow aged care staff to detect pain in residents who have difficulty communicating, particularly people with dementia.
The app, which has been rolled out to 20 aged care facilities across Australia, uses the phone’s camera to check for micro-muscle movements in a person’s face.
It then generates a score to distinguish between mild, moderate and severe pain – and it’s seeing real results.
Allambie Heights Village CEO Ciaran Foley has told 9News that its staff are astonished by how the app has improved the health and wellbeing of residents who can’t communicate.
Another provider says they have already cut their use of anti-psychotic medication – often used to treat agitation and aggression – because the app allows them to better diagnose when residents are in pain.
I know from my work with residents, that it can be very difficult to tell when a resident is in discomfort so it’s good to see this technology helping both residents and staff.
We now hope to see the app rolled out to other facilities.
Check out the 9News story here.
