fall prevention, fall detection

Falls are a serious problem among the oldest adults.  No one can question the statistics - falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults ages 65 and older, and the fall death rate increased by 21% from 2018 to 2024. The Senate’s Committee on Aging has taken note – and this week has launched a request for more tech-enabled innovation. Note the chart below and the increase among the population aged 85 and older.  Also interesting to note that life expectancy has increased during this period – resulting in more people living past age 85.  In fact, mortality rates for older men have been decreasing at a faster rate than for women.

You know the drill – which amazingly seems unchanged.  A bot advises you that many older adults would benefit from a free monitoring service in the event of a fall.  The bot attempts to verify age and then hands off to an offshore call center rep that cannot pronounce ‘Houston’ – an element in the name of the service company, nor can the rep identify the maker of the medical alert service they are offering. Naturally, the rep cannot remove a name from the cold-calling list -- and when asked to do so, hangs up. But there's good news...

Strength-related tech for stronger women?  With all of the digital health startups and corresponding $10 billion in investment, I was curious as to why none are helping women gain strength, which is known to be a direct link to maintaining balance and improving bone health, not to mention helping to prevent falls. I remember a book published years ago called Strong Women Stay Young, specifically focused on older women. The author, Miriam Nelson,  noted the importance of strength training and bone health – and in particular, avoiding osteoporosis, suffered by one in five women aged 50+.  It turns out, none of the 2024 digital health investments that are focused on women ($1.1 billion) tackled this dimension of women’s health.

Tech adoption for older adults is growing... The surveyed ubiquity of technology has led to a belief that it is everywhere it needs to be, with media assumptions about the benefit of smartphones and online tools, ownership of devices, or access to broadband speeds. The majority of older adults now own smartphones and smart TVs. Why? To access digital services. And, of course, to connect with families. But it is past time to make smartphone user interfaces more usable (accessible even) and make sure that if it’s the only phone an older adult owns, it supports sharing tools like FaceTime, text chatting, or YouTube. 

The WSJ article circles the problem.  When 41,000 older adults die as a result of falls each year at a cost of $80 billion (projected to $101 billion by 2030), maybe more scrutiny is required than this (unlocked) WSJ article provided.  Each year 1 in 4 older adults fall, and the number of (reported) falls is rising each year. Note that 43% of women aged 75 live alone – hazards in the home can increase the risk of falls. Aa person living alone is at risk of an undetected fall and, as with Jane Glenn Haus, an associated long lie time. According to the CDC, "falls account for 25% of all hospital admissions and 40% of all nursing home admissions. 40% of those admitted do not return to independent living; 25% die within a year."