PLYMOUTH, WIS. June 2, 2022 – Rocky Knoll Health Care Center in Plymouth, Wis., in collaboration with Sheboygan, Wis.-based VibeTech, recently welcomed the delivery of the first model of VibeTech’s new portable therapeutic vibration device – the VibeSit™PRO.

In 2016, Rocky Knoll Health Care Center entered into a partnership with VibeTech by investing in its device that uses vibration to reduce atrophy and pain in low-mobility patients receiving therapy. Over the past six years, the Sheboygan County-owned skilled nursing facility has worked with VibeTech to develop and measure the effectiveness of modified versions of VibeTech’s original vibration device meant to increase the resident populations served.

In 2018, Rocky Knoll staff created a pilot to study how well memory care residents would tolerate the device, which imparts low-intensity vibrations tuned to contract muscles in the legs and low back to simulate standing and walking. The successful pilot study led to a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) initiative aimed at reducing falls in this population that is twice as likely to fall as other residents and almost three times as likely to break a hip if they do fall. In 2019, data the group presented at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) annual conference showed a 45-percent reduction in falls over a three-month treatment period versus the previous three months in the first six residents treated. Additionally, falls are the leading cause of accidental injury and death in older adults.

Rocky Knoll received a grant from the Frank G. and Frieda K. Brotz Family Foundation to continue the study of the benefits of VibeTech’s mobile VibeSitPRO and to test for ease of use by residents, staff and volunteers. The device uses the same therapeutic vibration technology without requiring low-mobility residents to transfer from a wheelchair to get the benefits.

“Our main goal with the VibeSitPRO was to design a therapeutic vibration product that didn’t require a wheelchair transfer,” VibeTech CEO and Founder Jeff Leismer said. “With the VibeSit PRO, treatments can now be administered by all staff members as well as family members. Moreover, the portable design helps low-mobility residents to receive treatments wherever it is most convenient, such as in their room, therapy department, exercise gym, etc., while being disinfected between uses.”

In addition to Rocky Knoll’s and VibeTech’s participation, a community-based fall reduction program advisory group, consisting of local aging, dementia and Alzheimer's organizations, was formulated to provide feedback on the initial design and functionality of the mobile device and the associated fall reduction program.

According to Leismer, the VibeSitPRO incorporates the elements of VibeTech’s previous therapeutic vibration device models, while advancing the interactive features to a whole new level.

“The VibeSitPRO provides feedback and real-time information to the user, performs data collection and reports clinical outcomes,” Leismer said.

Following several production delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rocky Knoll Administrator Kayla Clinton is pleased to have the VibeSitPRO on site for low-mobility residents to use at their convenience.

“Our partnership with Vibetech is a longstanding one that has been in place since we received the first VibeTech therapeutic vibration device in 2016,” Clinton said. “Our journey to receiving the VibeSitPro began in 2019 when Jeff [Leismer] provided the vision of a portable device that would reach residents sitting in wheelchairs and in their rooms. After applying and receiving the Brotz Family Foundation grant and major manufacturing setbacks amidst the COVID pandemic, we anxiously awaited the arrival of the VibeSitPro before receiving our first VibeSitPRO unit in April 2022.”

Clinton says the compact size, portability, convenience and effectiveness of the VibeSitPRO has already generated plenty of positive feedback among users.

“Because the VibeSitPRO is much smaller and portable, many residents and visitors are curious about it and can see it in different areas of our building,” Clinton said. “We've found residents are more willing to try it as they do not have to transfer into the seat of the VibeSitPRO, which can be difficult. Resident feedback is that they can feel a sensation in their hips and knees, so they know it is working. Residents who have used the VibeSitPRO have all reported same or less pain after use. This has made a positive impact and difference for the residents using it. Reduced pain and increased quality of life are benefits we hope that residents and staff will be able to get from using the VibeSitPRO. Using vibration therapy can add beneficial structure and exercise to the daily routine of our residents, which can give them a sense of purpose and accomplishment.”

Leismer says the partnership with Rocky Knoll has played a key role in helping to advance the key elements of therapeutic vibration technology to a wide range of mobility-impaired patients, including those with dementia, Parkinson’s, peripheral neuropathy, general muscle weakness and balance impairments, as well as those recovering from injury and surgery.

“Our initial focus with therapeutic vibration technology was on atrophy in astronauts,” Leismer said. “However, over time we have learned that our therapeutic vibration devices, such as the VibeSitPRO, are useful for all memory-care and mobility-impaired patients, regardless of their condition or ability level.

“Rocky Knoll has been an active partner in our quest to introduce the benefits of exercise to those that can’t do so due to physical or cognitive limitations,” he said. “Therapeutic vibration therapy provides ‘exercise without effort™’ and allows low-mobility individuals to build muscles without exertion, which is the foundation of what we do at VibeTech.”

ABOUT VIBETECH

VibeTech is a NASA Spinoff medical device company located in Sheboygan, Wis. The FDA-listed, patented therapeutic vibration technology is designed to treat individuals with muscle weakness, impaired balance, reduced mobility and pain. It does this conveniently from the comfort of a chair or wheelchair, with or without the user putting forth effort. This solution maximizes efficiencies of care staff by engaging family members where possible to improve outcomes and provide a rewarding, interactive, engaging experience to all. The immediate and long-term benefits of treatment which have been observed and published are unprecedented in the senior living industry, because the age and frailty of VibeTech’s end users typically precludes the reversal of atrophy, decline and pain experienced even when receiving standard care. Over 20,000 Medicare and insurance reimbursed treatments have been provided safely to date, bolstering the company’s goal of establishing the new standard of care for older adults most at risk of falls and fall-related injuries.

For more information on VibeTech, visit www.vibetechglobal.com.

ABOUT ROCKY KNOLL HEALTH CARE CENTER

The Sheboygan County-owned Rocky Knoll Health Care Center is a licensed short-term rehabilitation and long-term care facility that serves up to 149 residents. For the past three years, Rocky Knoll achieved the highest possible overall rating of five stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS developed this rating system to provide consumers with a standardized way to grade nursing facilities.

For more information on Rocky Knoll Health Care Center, visit https://myrockyknoll.com.