Digital Agenda for Europe
A Europe 2020 Initiative

Social media gives helping hand to fall-prone elderly

A lot of older people wear alarm systems that contact emergency services directly if they suffer a fall. In that situation the person is often in pain and maybe in shock, so if the alarm is sent to many, help can get there quicker. Researchers are therefore working on a way to connect fall alarms to social media. FARSEEING is an EU-funded project, bringing together 11 partners to work on falls in older people and cost savings in this area. Based on the data collected so far the researchers say it is possible to predict a person's next fall with greater accuracy and therefore warn them to sit or lie down when they could be in danger. The team is now also working on a prototype social network that can help raise the alarm in such situations, instead of sending an alert only to the formal care services.
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