One of the most common cause of injury to seniors are falls. As people age and become weak their balance becomes compromised, so the prospect of falling looms ever present. Falls can often lead to serious injury, such as broken bones, which can take a long time to heal, or lacerations, that can lead to blood loss and/or infections.
The ideal would be to prevent falling completely, but short of that, one company has come up with an ingenious device that can make a real difference in the lives of the elderly. The device is called Hip’Air and it was introduced by a French company called Helite. It is similar to airbags which are found in cars, and works on a similar principle.
The device is designed to be worn comfortably around the waist, like a belt. It has the capability of analyzing movements as often as 1000 times/second, which allows it to detect a fall the moment it begins, triggering the inflation of the bag in only 80 milliseconds. The inflated bag softens the fall, helping the victim avoid injury.
The device has the potential of saving many people the pain and inconvenience of serious injuries that result all too often today from falls.
