Elata®: Ensuring Pressure Care Safety in Home Care and RACFs

Storm. Planned outage. Someone trips the breaker.

The lights go off… and so does the mattress pump.

For people on static foam, that’s inconvenient.
For people on alternating or powered hybrid mattresses, it can become unsafe if nobody notices or nobody knows what the mattress will do next.

This article` looks at what actually happens to powered mattresses in a blackout, what carers should check first, and how Elata® pumps (EP10 and EP20) with Elata SafeHold™ and Elata PowerGuard™ help keep people safer for longer.

Figure 1: Elata pumps EP10AU and EP20AU

1. What happens when the pump stops?

When mains power fails, a powered mattress can:

• lose pressure and slowly sag or bottom out
• become uneven, with hard and soft patches
• leave the person sliding into gaps or dips
• increase shear and local pressure on bony areas

It doesn’t always look dramatic in the first five minutes. Risk builds quietly over time, especially when:

• the person can’t move themselves
• there are existing pressure injuries
• staffing is thin (home care, nights, RACFs)

That’s why the pump behaviour in an outage really matters. Not just alarms, but what the mattress actually does under the person.

2. SafeHold™ vs PowerGuard™ – what’s the difference?

Elata uses two linked safety systems:

• Elata SafeHold™
• Elata PowerGuard™ (EP20 only)

They work together, but they are not the same thing.

Elata SafeHold™ – safe, stable “stop”

SafeHold™ is the safety net.

When power is lost and the pump reaches its final low-battery threshold, SafeHold™:

• equalises pressures across the cells
• closes valves
• leaves the mattress as a stable, reactive surface rather than a half-inflated, collapsing one

In plain language: the mattress stops alternating on purpose, then “holds” the person in a safe, evenly supported state until power or further help arrives.

SafeHold™ is about making the mattress safe and predictable, even when the pump can’t keep running therapy.

Elata PowerGuard™ – keeping therapy going

PowerGuard™ is the backup engine built into the EP20 pump.

When mains power fails:

1. PowerGuard™ switches to an internal battery.
2. The EP20 keeps delivering full therapy for a significant period (12 hours).
3. When the battery drops to a low level, the pump moves into a low-power mode to stretch remaining runtime.
4. Only when the battery reaches its final safety threshold does SafeHold™ kick in, stabilising pressures and shutting down safely. 

Figure 2: PowerGuard battery backup

So:

• SafeHold™ = “Make it safe, hold it steady when we truly have to stop.”
• PowerGuard™ = “Keep therapy going through the outage, then hand over to SafeHold™ if it runs long.”

Both protect the person. PowerGuard™ adds time and continuity.

3. EP10 vs EP20 – which pump does what?

Same family, different roles.

EP10 – core safety, no extended backup

The Elata EP10 pump:

• runs the mattress in its normal therapy modes when mains power is present
• includes Elata SafeHold™ logic to:
  • alarm on power loss
  • equalise pressures
  • close valves and leave a stable surface

What it does not do is run on full therapy for hours after power fails. EP10 is ideal where:

• mains power is reliable
• staff can respond quickly to alarms
• there is clear escalation for longer outages

EP20 – full therapy backup plus SafeHold™

The Elata EP20 pump:

• offers advanced modes (including Constant Low Pressure), backrest sensing, clinician login, etc.
• includes Elata PowerGuard™ so the pump can keep delivering active therapy during an outage
• when battery is nearly exhausted, hands over to Elata SafeHold™ to stabilise and shut down safely

EP20 is designed for:

• higher-risk clients
• less predictable power (home care, some RACFs)
• situations where you want hours of continued therapy, not just a safe stop

In short:

• EP10 + SafeHold™ → safe, stable mattress when the power goes

EP20 + PowerGuard™ + SafeHold™ → therapy continues first, then a controlled, safe stop if the outage runs long

4. Home care: simple steps when the power fails

In the community, you usually don’t have generators or spare staff. You need a simple plan.

When the power goes out:

1. Check the person first
   • Are they safe, comfortable, breathing easily, not tangled in rails or equipment?
2. Check the mattress and pump
   • EP10: has SafeHold™ activated? Does the surface feel firm and even, not sagging?
   • EP20: is PowerGuard™ active? What’s the battery status?
3. Think about time and tolerance
   • How long can this person stay in one position?
   • Do they have fragile skin or existing wounds?
   • Can you safely reposition them by hand if needed?
4. Act early
   • On EP20, use the PowerGuard™ run-time to plan, not to panic.
   • On EP10, if you know the outage will be long, consider increased manual repositioning or swapping to a non-powered surface if that’s part of the care plan and can be done safely.

Record what you did. Escalate to your clinical team if you’re concerned.

5. RACFs: making outages part of the system, not a surprise

In residential aged care, this isn’t just a bedside task. It’s a systems task.

Ask:

• Do we know who is on powered mattresses right now?
• Do we know which pumps are EP10 vs EP20 (SafeHold™ only vs PowerGuard™ + SafeHold™)?
• Do we have a simple list or map for staff during an outage?
• Do staff know:
  • what SafeHold™ looks and feels like?
  • that EP20 will keep running for a period before going to SafeHold™?

When the power fails:

• One person handles facility-level issues (lights, oxygen, comms).
• Another runs a “mattress and equipment round”:
  • checks each powered surface
  • notes which are on EP10 vs EP20
  • prioritises highest-risk residents for early review and repositioning.

The goal is calm, informed action. Not guessing in the dark.

6. A quick outage checklist for powered mattresses

Use this wherever you’re working.

Before an outage (planning):

• List who is on powered surfaces.
• Note which pumps are EP10 (SafeHold™) and which are EP20 (PowerGuard™ + SafeHold™).
• Flag residents or clients with very high risk or multiple existing injuries.

During an outage:

• Check the person, then the pump.
• Confirm whether the mattress is:
  • still in active therapy (EP20 + PowerGuard™), or
  • now in a SafeHold™ state (stable, non-alternating, valves closed).
• Reposition high-risk people early, while surfaces are still stable.

After power returns:

• Confirm pumps reboot into the correct therapeutic mode.
• Recheck skin, comfort, and positioning.
• Document what happened and any changes to the care plan.

Built for real life, not just for ideal power

Blackouts and outages aren’t rare events. They’re part of real life, especially in home care and RACFs.

A good powered mattress must protect people when everything is running perfectly, and when the lights go out.

That’s why Elata brings together:

• Elata SafeHold™ – a controlled, stable way to “stop” when power and battery are gone
• Elata PowerGuard™ (EP20) – extended battery operation so active therapy can continue through an outage
  
• EP10 and EP20 options – matched to different risk levels and care settings

So even on the worst day, you still have:

Precision in care, built for life.