The Future of Fall Detection

Some technologies truly change people’s lives. That’s especially the case for older people because tech can enable them to live independently at home rather than having to move to a care home.

Fall detection is a perfect example of this type of life-changing technology. It’s a fact that falls can be extremely dangerous to the elderly, so elderly people living alone are at risk if they can’t get help after they fall. Personal alarms with fall detection address exactly this problem. They are designed to sense when the person wearing them has fallen, and they call for help automatically if they believe their wearer has fallen.

Fall detection has improved significantly since it was first attempted, too. In the past, most personal alarms worked only inside the home because they relied on a base unit that was plugged in. Now, more elderly personal alarms are mobile, meaning that they provide just as much protection outdoors as indoors.

And the technology of fall detection is continuing to progress every day. Where will the science of detecting falls be in 5 or 10 years? In this post, we’ll list some emerging technologies in fall detection that might just answer that question.

Wearable sensors

Accurate fall detection comes from the work of several components.

First, sensors need to collect data about the person wearing the alarm with fall detection. Then, an algorithm needs to correctly determine whether all this data indicates that a fall occurred.

Let’s talk about the first part of this process – the sensors.

Advanced fall detection uses one or even multiple wearable sensors to collect inputs about movements. For example, the SureSafeGO uses three different types of sensors:

• Changes in air pressure (which can indicate that a fall has happened)
• Changes in speed of movement
• Impact, such as when the alarm hits the floor

Using more than one sensor is a significant step forward because it increases the likelihood of accurate fall detection. Input from one of these sensors alone might hint that a senior has fallen, but all three can be used together to check each other and help weed out false negatives or false positives. For example, the impact sensor might notice that the alarm has struck against a hard surface, but there might be no change in air pressure. This could mean that the senior has simply knocked their personal alarm against a table edge by accident.

In the future, perhaps even more types of sensors will be utilised to create an even more reliable picture of an older person’s motions. It’s also possible that body monitoring sensors could be used to predict when a person might be about to fall – or to sense that they are unwell after a fall.

AI-driven analysis

Now let’s discuss what happens with the data once the sensors have gathered it.

Artificial intelligence could help personal alarms create an increasingly complex understanding of how a person moves and what indicates a fall. One possibility is that the alarm will begin to adjust to an elderly person’s individual habits in terms of movement.

For example, an alarm might be able to learn that one senior golfs, while another doesn’t – so the same swinging movement and impact that would be normal in the first senior would indicate something wrong for the second person.

AI-based analysis could also be used with our next advancement…

Integration with virtual assistants and smart home systems

Smart home systems are another technology that can be massively helpful to elderly people who live alone. They can give reminders about doctor’s appointments, turn lights on and off, and sync up with security systems to keep an older person safe.

Moreover, as tech advances, smart home systems and personal alarms could become seamlessly interwoven to create a full understanding of a senior in the context of their home.

For example, video cameras could be used together with AI that notices when an older person has fallen. The input from the cameras and the alarm worn on the body would be used together to understand whether an older person has fallen or whether they are intentionally on the ground, such as performing stretches or yoga.

There have also been investigations into 4D mapping in the home. This involves placing sensors along the walls of the home so that there is a map of what happens in each room over time. These would be able to sense that the older person is not moving around according to their usual movement patterns.

The drawback to this approach, however, is that it decreases privacy. Some elderly people might not want their activity at home to be monitored or watched all the time, even just by a computer. Therefore, this type of fall detection might be best used with seniors who cannot be independent, such as those who are suffering from dementia and are already being cared for outside their own homes.

Why fall detection matters

But wait – why does fall detection matter this much?

It’s because there’s a big difference between a fall that an older person is quickly helped up from, as opposed to a fall that results in them lying on the floor for an hour or more.

In fact, a fall that leaves an elderly person unable to get up from the floor for at least an hour is referred to as a ‘long lie.’ A long lie can have serious consequences, such as causing pressure sores from lying in place, dehydration, hypothermia, and severe mental health effects.

Trusted fall detection technology from SureSafe

Of course, in an ideal world seniors wouldn’t fall at all. And there are a lot of steps you can take to reduce the chances of falling at home.

But falls are common in seniors – 1/3 of older people will fall at least once each year. And it’s not possible to eliminate all risk of falls.

So, it’s essential to have a plan in place in case a fall occurs. And a sophisticated personal alarm with fall detection is a great part of that plan for many seniors living alone. You’ll likely want one with a one-touch SOS button as well, to provide a second layer of protection, since no fall detection system can currently guarantee it will detect 100% of all falls.

At SureSafe, we’re a leading UK provider of just this kind of personal alarm for the elderly, and our excellent reviews are a testament to how effective our alarms are. So, if you’re curious about fall detection and would like to learn more, why not give us a ring on 0808 189 1671? Alternatively, you can get in touch with us via live chat or request a call back.