New Device for Preventing Falls

When I was a little kid, my grandmother got pushed out of a revolving door at Bloomingdale's in NYC and broke her hip. I had this image in my six-year-old mind of my grandmother sprawled on the sidewalk outside Bloomingdale's. I can still picture it.

But most falls happen at home. As an adult, I found my own mother on the floor of her apartment. She had fallen during the night, broken her arm and couldn't get up. Falls like this are fairly common and often lead to rapidly declining health. About one third of people over 65 take spills. More statistics about seniors falling are all laid out in a really interesting article in the New York Times business section on new devices that help to prevent falls by tracking the daily pattern of movements older adults make in their own homes.

I love the idea of using technology to help people age in place successfully. Companies like Intel and General Electric are investing in the field. To read more, use the link below to the Times article (synopsis included below, too).

Watch the Walk and Prevent a Fall

By STEVE LOHR

Published: November 8, 2009

Researchers are applying tools like wireless motion sensors in their quest to prevent the elderly from falling in their homes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/08unboxed.html