For the team at RFMS LTC Support Services, the focus hasalways been on empowering their care teams to deliver the highest level ofclinical excellence while maintaining the warmth and dignity of a true home. Ina network of 18 facilities, this requires the team to consistently evaluate newtechnology that supports an environment that is equally prepared for thoserequiring light assistance and those with complex, high-acuity needs. RFMS sawa unique opportunity to strengthen their fall prevention protocols, bring a newlevel of individualized support to their residents, and unlock operationalefficiencies by partnering with Accora.
A recurring challenge in high-acuity care is the "recurrent roller"—residents who frequently move to the edge of the bed. Traditionally, this meant a potential fall from the bed height to a floor mat, which inherently carries injury risks and triggers a mandatory "fall" report.
RFMS saw a unique opportunity to provide a higher level of quality of care by implementing the Empresa floor-level bed in tandem with a high-safety mat. This allowed them to move away from simply "managing" falls and toward a strategy of reducing bed falls.
By lowering to a true floor-level height of just 3.9inches, the velocity of a roll-out is so low that it typically results in no injury; furthermore, the proximity to the floor often allows a resident’s hand or leg to make natural contact with the ground first, frequently halting a full roll-out before it even occurs.
RFMS took their quality of care a step further by pairing the Empresa with a high-safety mat that sits at the same height as the bed at floor-level. This created a continuous, level plane of support, turning a potential fall into a safe roll. Shay Wiggs, a Regional Therapy Consultant at RFMS noted that for the residents involved in the initial implementation, falls dramatically reduced due to there being no change in plane.
"The residents that we used the Empresa Bed with as a fall prevention approach, decreased falls to almost zero... because they didn’t have a change in plane, the resident did not fall. Our staff then assists them back over to their mattress on the same plane and gets them comfortable."– Shay Wiggs, Regional Therapy Consultant
RFMS also recognized the positive impact of Empresa’s BodyMove technology on daily care. In traditional beds, raising the head-of-bed often pushes residents forward, leading to uncomfortable "scooting" and skin-damaging friction. The BodyMove feature allows the bed to adjust while gently moving with the resident, rather than pushing against them.
Care teams noted that because residents "hold their position better," the physical workload of frequently repositioning in bed is greatly reduced, allowing staff to focus on more meaningful resident interactions.
“With the BodyMove, the bed adjusts while it lifts... it doesn’t push the resident down into the bed, so they don’t have to keep getting repositioned. It keeps them in the right position reducing friction or shearing on their skin. An added bonus is that itis a huge time-saver for our staff.” - Shay Wiggs, Regional Therapy Consultant
Similarly, RFMS recognized an opportunity to strengthen their ability to offer individualized postural and pressure support by introducing the Configura Advance into their fleet. By adopting a more adaptable seating solution, they were able to provide a higher level of customized clinical care while simultaneously driving improvements in staff efficiency and long-term cost savings.
One of the most significant operational wins for RFMS was the adjustability of the chair. Traditionally, managing a fleet requires stocking multiple chairs of fixed widths. The Configura Advance, however, is fully adjustable in width, depth, and height, allowing a single chair to 'do the work of four'. This provides financial relief; instead of purchasing four different chairs, they have one chair that covers multiple sizes.
"Financially, that helps us, we don’t have to go buy four different chairs, we’ve got one chair that covers multiple ranges. It gives us a lot of versatility to customize that chair to that resident." - Shay Wiggs, Regional Therapy Consultant
The "tool-less" design of the Configura Advance further empowers therapists to make precision adjustments in minutes, without needing a toolkit. This ensures that a resident can be custom-fitted the moment they need it, ensuring no delays in clinical care. This focus on individualization extends to the chair's integrated padding system. RFMS found that the seamless design and superior comfort allow residents to get the restorative rest that is a cornerstone of overall health and recovery.
"It’s about being able to get that rest that you need. When you’re comfortable, you can get those eight hours of rest, andthat’s a cornerstone of health. The seating, the material, the comfortability of it... it just seems like it’s more comfortable for our residents." - Shay Wiggs, Regional Therapy Consultant
Finally, the tilt-in-space function was highlighted as a vital tool for pressure relief, allowing residents to offload weight and protect skin integrity without losing their line of sight. By keeping the resident’s head in a functional position—essential for maintaining proper spinal alignment—they remain active participants in their environment.
"In some chairs, when you tilt or recline, you're looking at the ceiling. With this chair, you can tilt and recline, while still keeping the individual engaged in activities and social interactions which again enhance quality of care." - Shay Wiggs, Regional Therapy Consultant
By integrating the Empresa and the Configura Advance, RFMS LTC Support Services has successfully created an environment where safety and comfort are built into the room itself. By choosing solutions that eliminate the physics of a fall and adapt to the unique needs of every resident, they have empowered their staff to deliver a higher standard of care while ensuring that every resident feels truly at home.
