15 July 2022
By Graham RussellÂ
The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the pre-existing fall-related challenges and issues which older adults faced, and confirmed the dire need for new breakthrough solutions. From pendants to sensors, to digital biomarkers, global fall solutions have rapidly evolved and shed light on new innovation opportunities.
The report reviews trends, challenges, and opportunities related to global innovation for falls, with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of various solutions currently in the global falls market.
Global falls are catastrophic, especially for older adults.
Falls are everywhere. 60% of falls occur in the home, 30% outside the home but within a community setting, and 10% in a health care center, like a hospital or clinic.
Falls are increasing. In 2019, there were 703 million people aged 65+, a number that is projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050. For this age group, if preventive and proactive measures are not taken in the immediate future, catastrophic consequences will ensue.
With its impact, falls consequences include physical, governmental and community; financial and medical; social and psychological.
Global falls represent a devastating health crisis that disproportionately affects older adults.
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the deep-rooted issues related to falls, increased fall risk and worsened health outcomes for elderly, which is why we must immediately tackle the core challenges within fall prevention and detection.
The objective should not be to simply prevent falls, but to also increase overall function, independence and quality of life for older individuals.
Global innovation plays an essential part in helping us achieve this goal. We must strive for holistic prevention to better support and empower older adults, and to combat the global fall crisis.
See the full report to have a read on Fall Detection Innovation, Barriers to Scale and Opportunity Areas.
