Deaf blind: the Heartbeat

The Bartiméus Institute is home to a residential community of children and adults who are deaf-blind and have additional intellectual disabilities. These individuals are unable to live independently and are severely restricted in their abilities to communicate and articulate their needs. In daily life this presents many challenges in terms of providing sufficient care. For example, many of these clients have difficulty being alone and resort to self-injurious behaviours when not in direct contact with a member of staff. To avoid self-harm or undue distress it is often necessary for a staff member to be present in close physical proximity with the client throughout the day.

The purpose of the Heartbeat Project was to find a practical solution to provide these clients with a sense of safety even when the carer is not in direct proximity. The goal was to develop and implement technology that would enable these clients to maintain contact and interact with their carers from a distance.

How does the Heartbeat work?

The 'Heartbeat' is a device with a large tactile button and an electronic pulsator that transmits a signal to a pager worn by the carer. The Heartbeat is able to measure the distance between client and carer by maintaining contact with a sensor in the pager. As the client touches the Heartbeat he or she is able to feel a pulsating 'heartbeat' that varies in strength depending on the location of the carer. If the carer is nearby, the heartbeat grows stronger, and if the carer moves away, the heartbeat becomes weaker. This way, the client obtains information about the whereabouts of the carer, and by using the button on the Heartbeat, the client can signal the carer's pager in order to request help.

Implementing the heartbeat

The Heartbeat was implemented in a sample of deaf-blind adults with severe intellectual disabilities. Following training with the device the group of participants were able to initiate proximity-seeking and other social behaviours by using the device and as a result exhibited fewer signs of distress and self-injurious behaviours in the absence of direct contact with their carers.

Contact

For more information about the project please get in touch with the project coordinator, Dick Lunenborg. Sent e-mail.