Fall Detection For Medical Alert Systems in Canada

The risk of falls are a major concern in the health sector as this factor leads to serious health complications in elderly individuals as they decline in health and physical fitness. In fact, most Canadian medical reports show that fractures due to falls are a prominent contributor to the health issues faced by seniors. Please take a look at our guide on fall prevention to help prevent falls before they happen.

If falls do happen, early detection of these falls enables emergency response teams to provide quick response and can help prevent seniors from experiencing long term effects like brain trauma, coma, paralysis, or other adverse results due to a fall. 

Fortunately, advanced technology has helped with creating a solution! Fall detection technology has been integrated into medical alert devices and smart watches like an Apple Watch to ensure that emergency services can be there to provide quick medical assistance and prevent further damage. A call for help is almost automatic now and that’s why these features are invaluable to seniors and people with disabilities.

What Is Fall Detection?

Fall detection technology is often built into medical alert devices and automatically detects falls when the user loses their balance or collapses. If a fall is detected, the sensors will identify it as a fall, and emergency response contact list will be informed. 

The built-in detection sensors – which is often an accelerometer or gyroscope – detects a drastic change in altitude and triggers an alert message to either family, friends, or a health care professional, providing the user with immediate assistance. These are wearable devices which can be worn on the wrist, neck, or waist, and are generally portable to ensure the individual stays connected to immediate assistance. If you have stairs in your home and don’t have a stair lift, it is recommended to get a device like this for added protection.

How Does Automatic Fall Detection Work?

Fall detection features in medical alert systems and smart devices covers the act of detecting a fall – the rate of change in altitude – and it involves the entire process of recognizing the fall and triggering an urgent request for help. 

The entire fall detection system comprises of the following factors:

• Sensors
  The sensors within these advanced technological devices operate with a gyroscope or an accelerometer. Some devices use a type of low power radio wave technology to monitor the user’s movement and detect any drastic changes. The components of the sensor determine the fall detection’s quality. Users can depend on these devices as they all pass through a series of tests before government approval. Be sure to ask your provider to see which best suits your needs to prevent a risk of falling.

• Fall detection
  While the sensors are designed to detect a change in altitude and speed, a special algorithm translates these figures and decides whether they qualify as a fall or something more common like clapping your hands. This algorithm understands an individual’s body position, physical activity, and the natural smoothness of a fall compared to regular movement. Once the software receives these variables, it analyses them to see if they fall within the danger zone and proceeds to send for help or assistance. 

• Precision
  Medical alert devices go through a series of tests to calibrate their sensors to only trigger an urgent help message during a bad fall. In some instances, however, minor events like falling off the bed or the sofa may not trigger any emergency alert. For this reason, most devices are equipped with emergency buttons that the individual may click if they require assistance after a minor fall. 

• Urgent Response
  With the sensors in place and the device being calibrated for a fall, the medical alert system – usually a pendant or wristband – can summon assistance for the relevant medical authorities in the case it detects falls. It’s worth noting that some of these devices come with a built-in speaker and microphone for two-way communication, enabling the response team to deduce whether the situation requires immediate help or just some quick assistance. For a complete list of Canadian medical alert systems, visit our comparison page.

Benefit of Fall Alerts in Canada

Naturally, fall detection medical alert systems were designed to tackle accidents related to falls and slips. This device is primarily used by older or disabled people; however, other individuals like construction workers use this device to summon first aid whenever they suffer a fall, for example, at a job site or while operating dangerous and heavy equipment.

According to reports from the National Safety Council, over 80 workers are temporarily injured in a fall, and a large percent of these occurrences require immediate medical assistance. Therefore, it is safe to deduce that fall detection devices improve the well-being of both workers, people with disabilities, and seniors – let alone all the family members that get peace of mind as well.  It also ensures they can receive immediate medical attention from an injury that may be fatal.