Investigating the feasibility of a sensor-based hip protector for automatically detecting falls and characterizing activities of daily living in frail older adults

Over 350,000 Canadians live in long-term care facilities where the rate of falls is up to 3 times higher than among individuals living in the community. Wearable sensor technology holds great promise to accurately monitor an individuals fall risk based on the activity profile and to detect dangerous fall events. With the understanding that hip protectors are commonly used in this population the objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of a sensor-based hip protector to accurately detect falls and monitor daily activities. The partner organization is involved in the development of a discrete hip protector and will benefit as their device will be further developed, refined and evaluated in the target population.

Faculty Supervisor:

Stephen Robinovitch

Student:

Andreas Ejupi

Partner:

DJP DESIGN LTD

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Simon Fraser University