Wirelessly Detecting a Fall in Real-Time From a Standing Position by a Long-Term Care Resident with Dementia

In 2010, there were 35.6 million people worldwide living with some form of dementia. This number is expected to increase to 65.7 million worldwide by 2030 and 115.4 million by 2050. This growing population of people living with dementia faces a common challenge - falls. This includes not only addressing the injuries resulting from a fall, but being aware a fall occurred at all. The device developed through this project seeks to monitor the position of a long-term resident living with dementia and automatically report, in real-time, when a fall has occurred. Further extension of the device will allow it to detect the type and direction of each fall, information that is vital in proper treatment.