The most dangerous thing for the elderly is falling at home with no one around to help. In case of a severe fall the person can suffer from fractures or even a slipped disc. Statistically speaking one in three Australian older than 65 has a fall each year. Close to $850 million is spent annually dealing with associated medical costs.
Researchers at the University of NSW have now given the problem some consideration and have come up with a device that can help predict who is likely to fall and need hospital care for injuries like hip fractures. This will help family members know how much assistance an elderly person may require, making it easier to provide care.
The device is clipped onto a belt and can work as a sensor to measure the performance of the person as he carries out tasks such as climbing stairs or walking around. The researchers have tested 68 elderly people with the device and compared results with more traditional assessment tests. The device has shown 99% accuracy in clinical trials.
If the device is able to help elderly people measure their risk levels they will be able to stay at home longer rather than having to shift to special clinics. Dr Stephen Redmond, a leading scientist involved with the project, said that they put the device on their waist and the idea was that they performed a scripted assessment and tests such as standing up and walking three metres and coming back and sitting down again, sitting in a chair and standing up five times and an alternate step test to simulate climbing stairs.
He added that they found those who had a greater risk of falling tended to perform the tasks with reduced stability. He hoped in the future that just by getting them to wear the sensor for a period of time we can unobtrusively estimate their risk of falling by monitoring how they perform activities like walking as they go about their daily lives.
The goal seemed very achievable based on the results that they have seen so far. He felt that the fall detection devices on the market could be able to incorporate the sensor they have developed. Currently devices only set out an alarm if the person falls, now they will also be able to predict a fall.