Another Member Utilizing Technology to Prevent Falls

Vinson Hall Retirement Community, a LeadingAge member in McLean, VA, is working with AFrame Digital and the University of Virginia’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to test whether continuous monitoring can help prevent falls in older adults. The study is funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Researchers will be using the AFrame Digital MobileCare Monitor System to observe 30 Vinson Hall residents in their normal living environment and capture data on their daily living activities. The wrist watch-like device wirelessly communicates a user’s motion and location data to cloud-based monitoring and alerting system. Analysis of that data will help researchers isolate a wearer’s walking time from his or her other daily activities and then conduct a real-time analysis of abnormal gait.

Because an individual’s gait can change slowly over time, it often goes unnoticed until a fall occurs. The AFrame Digital’s monitoring technology is designed to detect subtle gait changes so medical personnel and caregivers can be alerted before a fall happens.

“We are strongly supportive of falls reduction research,” said Kathleen L. Martin, CEO of Vinson Hall. “We feel this research could play a significant role in predicting and preventing falls. It could ultimately improve quality of life by keeping older adults mobile and independent not only in retirement communities but wherever they reside.”