Neursantys, a bioelectronic medicine pioneer, and Caring Hands Caregivers, a premier provider of senior care services, have joined forces to pilot a groundbreaking program utilizing cutting-edge technology to increase vestibular function, improve balance performance, and reduce fall risk in seniors. The two companies have successfully launched a pilot balance testing and restorative treatment clinic in Cupertino, CA, deploying the Neursantys bioelectronics platform to deliver vestibular stimulation therapy (VST) to residents from a local senior living community. This is one of several pilot clinics that Neursantys has launched with senior care providers and physical therapists in the U.S. and Canada, under an IRB approved study (NCT06846047 on ClinicalTrials.gov).

The Neursantys platform includes an easy-to-use wearable sensor and digital biomarkers to assess balance impairments, together with the company’s NEURVESTA bioelectronic device that delivers a unique form of non-invasive electrical stimulation to the vestibular balance system. The pilot clinics are helping to collect data on the company’s proprietary VST treatment protocol, comprising eighteen 20-minute treatment sessions delivered over a 4–6-week period. Previous studies with clinical and senior living partners in Canada have demonstrated long-lasting recovery of degraded balance and mobility in populations from 50-90 years of age. The first group of 32 participants in the Cupertino pilot, from The Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community, completed the 6-week VST treatment in February. Thirty of the 32 participants demonstrated significant recovery of vestibular function, improved balance performance, and reduced fall risk following the 18-session treatment protocol. The improvements were already observable in the first 2 treatment sessions, after which they continued to increase progressively and then plateaued in the final sessions. The number of high-fall-risk participants fell from 17 to 4 after completing the Neursantys VST treatment. Previous studies that included a control group receiving sham vestibular stimulation have confirmed that the balance improvements and fall risk reductions result from the VST treatment, and that they persist for a period of at least 6 months. 

Diane Hart, Board member at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio and a participant in the Cupertino pilot, commented, “Living in a senior community makes one hyper-aware of the risk of falls and the cascade of bad consequences that too often follow. That's why the results of the Neursantys pilot project with Forum residents are so impressive and meaningful to me. Having myself experienced the ability of the program to both measure and then restore degraded vestibular balance function, I am convinced that widespread use of this service can make a real difference in helping seniors maintain an active, independent, and fulfilling lifestyle.”

Scott Stanley, President at Caring Hands Caregivers, added, “As a home care provider since 2007, Caring Hands Caregivers recognizes that declining balance and mobility often trigger seniors to require our services, and rapidly escalating costs of home care have placed increasing financial and emotional burdens on families. This strategic partnership with Neursantys aligns with our mission to provide comprehensive, cost-effective aging-in-place solutions that can prolong seniors' independence, thereby delaying the need for more expensive home care services.”

Neursantys CEO John Ralston remarked that, “Our collaboration with Caring Hands Caregivers and the participation of the Forum residents is a testament to our joint commitment to improving the lives of seniors. The VST pilot program is providing critical data that validate our balance testing and restorative treatment platform, helping us to refine resource and training requirements and solidify the economic viability of our VST service, and paving the way for regulatory submissions.”