University of Utah electrical engineers have developed a
network of wireless sensors that can detect a person falling. This monitoring
technology could be linked to a service that would call emergency help for the
elderly without requiring them to wear monitoring devices.
For people age 65 and older, falling is a leading cause of
injury and death. Most fall-detection devices monitor a person’s posture or
require a person to push a button to call for help. However, these devices must
be worn at all times. A 2008 study showed 80 percent of elderly adults who
owned call buttons didn’t use the device when they had a serious fall, largely
because they hadn’t worn it at the time of the fall.