Fall Detection
As we age, the risk of falling increases, and so does the severity of injuries resulting from falls. This heightened risk is due to various factors, including decreased mobility, balance issues, and chronic health conditions that may affect stability. Recognizing this, our personal alarm pendant and watch devices are equipped with automatic fall detection. This technology ensures that when a fall occurs, the necessary assistance is not just available but is promptly alerted, potentially saving lives and preserving the independence of our elderly loved ones.
What is Automatic Fall Detection?
Automatic fall detection is an innovative feature in our personal alarm pendant and watch devices, designed to enhance safety for users, especially the elderly. At its core, this technology relies on advanced sensors that are finely tuned to detect movements and impacts associated with falls.
These sensors work by continuously monitoring the wearer's movement. They are calibrated to differentiate between everyday activities and the distinct motion patterns that occur during a fall, such as a sudden descent followed by an abrupt halt. When such a pattern is detected, the device interprets it as a fall.
The beauty of this technology lies in its balance between sensitivity and specificity. It's smart enough to discern a real fall from daily activities like sitting down quickly or laying down to rest. This reduces false alarms while ensuring that real falls are promptly detected.
Customizable Sensitivity Settings
Understanding that each individual's needs and environments are different, we've made the fall detection feature customizable. Users can adjust the sensitivity settings to low, moderate, or high through the device settings.
Open the CareXact App and go to the Devices screen. Then tap the Settings icon next to the device you would like to adjust. Click next until you see the Fall Detection setting screen. Adjust the settings and continue clicking the Next button and finally the Finish button. Your device setting update is now queued and ready to be applied to your personal alarm.
You don’t need to be in the same room, state, or country to update the personal alarm settings. Your personal alarms check for settings updates every 10 minutes over the internet. Emergency contacts with SMS enabled will receive a courtesy SMS letting them know the personal alarm settings have been adjusted successfully.
Why Low Sensitivity is Often Best:
While the default moderate setting works well for many, we generally recommend the low sensitivity setting for most users. This setting is finely tuned to trigger an automatic alert in the event of a fall from approximately waist height, followed by a sudden stop. This level of sensitivity is designed to minimize false alarms while still providing reliable detection of actual falls.
What Happens When a Fall is Detected?
In the critical moments following a fall, timely assistance is paramount. Our personal alarm devices are designed to respond instantly and efficiently when a fall is detected. Here's what happens in those crucial moments:
Immediate Alert Initiation: As soon as the device's sensors detect a fall, it activates an emergency protocol. This swift response is crucial in providing timely help and potentially reducing the severity of any injuries sustained from the fall. The pendant connects to GPS satellites to fetch an updated location, then publishes this location to CareXact every minute, rather than every 10 minutes as is the case under normal non emergency conditions.
Contacting Emergency Contacts: The device immediately commences a two-pronged approach to reach out for help. It begins by placing automated phone calls to pre-registered emergency contacts. These calls inform the contacts that the wearer has experienced a fall, prompting them to take immediate action.
Sending SMS with Location Details: Simultaneously, the device sends an SMS to the same emergency contacts. This isn't just a text message; it includes a critical piece of information for quick assistance - a Google Maps link pinpointing the current location of the personal alarm. This feature is especially crucial if the fall occurs outside the home or in an unfamiliar area, enabling emergency responders or loved ones to find the wearer's exact location swiftly.