Nearly 20,000 people die from unintentional falls every year. Every 11 seconds, an older adult in the US is seen at an emergency department for a fall-related injury, and one out of five falls causes a serious injury such as a broken bone or a head injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and […]
What Are the Best Safety Alert Devices with Fall Detection?
Q. My neighbor Suzanne is an avid jogger. I always see her out jogging early in the morning while I’m walking my pups. She’s got all the gear, including one of those newer Apple Watches. The other day, Suzanne was speed-walking instead of jogging, with her arm in a sling. I caught up with her […]
How Do You Get a Loved One to Wear a Fall Prevention Device?
Dear Angel, I am thinking of buying my mother a smartwatch with fall prevention features on it for her birthday, but I’m worried she won’t wear it. What is the likelihood that seniors in general actually wear these devices? Thanks for your help! Anita Kno — Dear Anita, Falls are the leading cause of serious […]
Laser Shoes, Magic Carpets, & More: Technology to Combat Falls
Q. My parents are snowbirds. Every spring, I pick them up at the Lorton Auto Train and drop them off at their home, and in November, they go back to Florida for the winter. My father has had Parkinson’s for almost 20 years now, and the debilitating disease is taking its toll. Yesterday, when I arrived at the station, I noticed that it was extra hard to move my dad from his wheelchair to […]
A New White House Report on Technology for Seniors
Technology is playing a larger role in the lives of seniors, enabling them to be engaged, connected, mentally active, and physically safe. In fact, boomers are a part of one of the fastest growing demographics in terms of usage of social media and other technologies. It’s not surprising that the marketplace for technology for aging […]