A Novel System to Detect Falls in Real-life Conditions

Medical alert devices with automatic fall detection functionality use accelerometry to detect a fall and can signal for help if the wearer forgets to, or is incapable of, pressing the alert button. This can save lives and prevent complications associated with long periods of time spent on the floor after a fall. In this project, the sensitivity and false alarm rate of a commercially available medical alert device will be tested in a population of 200 community-dwelling older adults.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in the STRIDE Study at the Boston trial site (http://www.stride-study.org/).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Uses a medical alert device