Fall detection -- a look back -- much innovation but little impact

My dad has lived long enough to fall twice and fracture each hip, have a leg amputated and a pacemaker implanted. he is in his late 80's. My mom can no longer live independently with him and take care of him because of her Alzheimer's. Technology is doing slowing down their deaths so that they are both alive and may live another decade. In the next decade I can expect to see both of them in diapers and only one of them will remember or recognize me and neither will be able to eat of go to the bathroom without help. I know this blog is about technology but as we all work together to achieve super long lives we must remember that our bodies wear out and we were only meant to be living on this earth for a short time. Lets not think of it as longer lives but as longer more agonizing and less dignified deaths.

Thanks for the plug on Lively providing a face lift... IMHO, Lively is re-imagining PERS and Safety with our new Safety Watch... see the new video on our website (www.mylively.com), but we have med reminders, activity tracking/pedometer and the most attractive (another facelift) PERS device on the market today

At the Connected Health Summit recently, it was refreshing to hear enterprises turning up the volume on the topic of prevention and wellness. Let's deliver healthcare to people when they are well and see if we can impact health through prevention. If we applied this to "Falls" in older people, we would be developing programs for balance that enable people to better negotiate their physical world as they age. My mother swears by Yoga, others have special work-outs and a Healthcare VC recently told me she thinks the game of golf may have benefits for developing balance.
This is a market waiting to be disrupted by companies thinking about the earlier root cause of disequilibrium in older adults.

The PERS Systems and Sensors are excellent safety nets and broad adoption of these simple, inexpensive tools may not prevent a fall, but they offer an important sense of confidence that if you need support, you'd receive it quickly. That confidence, I suspect, contributes quantifiably to the wellness of a person who is feeling functional limits for the first time in their life.

Hi Laurie,

I agree, the industry has been through ups and downs, revolutionizing the way care is brought to our aging loved ones and now with an added emphasis to our discharged patients.

While I think fall detection and crisis management are critical and important, there are several other puzzle pieces that apply. Once fall detection and PERs come into play, the crisis is occurring. This is critical that this person receives help and support. I agree, this is important.

However, I still believe that not enough emphasis is placed on the proactive nature of technology and telehealth solutions.

At GrandCare, we try to combine the most holistic needs of a human being to create a usable and affordable solution while proving reduced readmissions and better chronic disease management. Telehealth monitoring can indicate earlier to a doctor or care provider if vitals fall outside of designated thresholds or if red flag symptoms occur (eg excessive weight gain). It's also helpful that the patient is empowered and better informed to help self manage health. For example, a GrandCare client will have discharge videos, medication prompts and instructions, health assessments, family communications, to do checklists, schedules and one touch secured video chat to providers right at point of care, wherever home is.
This can be so helpful in patient engagement and letting everyone fully circle around the patient.

Thanks again, it's been interesting to watch the reinvention and pivoting as the industry has continued to evolve.

Laura Mitchell
Founding Member, Chief Marketing Officer
GrandCare Systems