Falling is scary. The good news is that AI-powered fall detection exists to reduce fears and risks associated with falling. Some fall prevention technologies help people respond to falls, whereas others help them avoid falls before they even happen. Older adults who take advantage of fall prevention technologies such as wearable monitoring devices, AI sensors, smart lighting and more, may be able to stay upright and safely navigate fall risks.
While anyone can be at risk for a fall or fall-related injury, older adults can be more vulnerable than others. Older adults with comorbidities or balance issues are particularly at risk. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults aged 65 and older, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[READ: Fall Prevention for Older Adults: 13 Strategies to Stay Safe]
What Is the Best Fall Prevention Technology for Seniors?
Fall prevention equipment and technology can range from next-generation AI devices that give you insight into your balance and strength to supportive footwear that helps you feel more confident on your feet.
Types of doctor-recommended devices for fall-prevention include:
Wearable devices:
— Alert pendants
— Smartwatches
— Sleep trackers
AI and smart home sensors:
— ???AI home monitoring systems
— Bed alarms
— Doorbell cameras
— ???Smart locks
— Smart lighting
— Stability scales
Environmental and physical supports:
— Supportive footwear
— Smart insoles
— Canes or walkers
— Grab bars or handrails
[Read: Senior Home Care: Services, Costs and Tips for Aging in Place]
Top Wearable Devices to Prevent Falls
Alert pendants
Alert pendants are wearable fall-prevention devices that, as the name implies, alert others if you have taken a fall. Many alert pendants have built-in falling sensors that automatically detect falls and, once detected, release a call for help.
You can program your device to send alerts to emergency medical services, caregivers, family members, loved ones or other trusted sources.
Dr. John Schumann, an internal medicine doctor and the executive medical director at Oak Street Health, a health care organization that primarily serves older adults, says alert pendants can offer “an additional layer of security and peace of mind for both older adults and their loved ones.”
Devices like Amazon’s Alexa can act as voice-activated alert pendants if you program it to respond to certain directives by calling family members, friends or emergency services.
Smartwatches
Smartwatches track your movements, which includes any falls. Similar to an alert pendant, this passive technology allows you to program your smartwatch to alert someone when you’ve fallen. It can do this by sending a text or making a phone call with voice command. These features can help connect you to a caregiver or emergency services if you fall, especially if you are not close to your phone. In addition to helping you cope after a fall, a smartwatch may help you avoid falling.
It does this by offering personalized information about your health status that may help you prevent future falls. If you use the information wisely, you may be able to avoid risky scenarios and keep yourself stable.
For example, your smartwatch can track how well you slept the night before, your heart rate and your fatigue level. If it tells you that you slept poorly and are more fatigued than usual, you may want to reduce your physical activity, consider leaning on your cane or walker, or take the elevator instead of using the stairs.
The latest smartwatches and trackers are packed with leading-edge medical technology, including but not limited to: electrocardiogram apps, stress level detectors, heart rate and blood pressure monitors, sleep trackers and blood oxygen readers.
[READ: Should You Share Your Health Info With an AI Chatbot?]
Smart rings and sleep trackers
Sleep trackers and smart rings, such as Oura rings, provide information on your sleep quality, which can impact balance. You can use these metrics to make educated decisions about whether or not you want to engage in activities like stair climbing or exercise. For instance, if your device tells you that you slept poorly, you may want to take the elevator.
Smart rings also offer movement alerts to remind you to stand up and shake out your legs, if you have been sitting for extended periods of time.
“The mere fact it reminds you to move is beautiful,” says Dr. Eugene Lipov, the chief medical officer at Stella Mental Health and a longevity researcher. “You always want to have people moving — it’s good for the brain, it’s good for the muscles, it’s good for stability.”
Lipov adds that moving within your body’s capabilities is crucial for building and maintaining balance with age.
“If you’re sedentary, you’re not going to be particularly well-balanced,” Lipov adds. “If you’re not balanced, you’re gonna fall over.”
For people who want to improve their stability, he encourages practicing sitting and standing from a chair without using their arms, aiming for ten reps a day.
Smartwatches vs. sleep trackers: Which are better for reducing falls?
| Device | Key feature | Best for | Key limitation |
| Smartwatches (e.g., Apple Watch) | Active detection | Real-time alerts to EMS/family | Requires frequent charging |
| Sleep Trackers (e.g., Oura Ring) | Preventive insight | Assessing fatigue and recovery | No active fall-alert feature |
[READ: Best Exercises for Preventing Falls in Older Adults.]
Top Al and Smart Home Sensors for Elderly Fall Prevention
AI home monitoring systems
AI home monitoring systems are contactless fall sensors for the home. These collect data about your loved ones’ whereabouts and create alerts inpotential unsafe situations. AI home monitoring systems like Nomo Smart Care, one such device, claim to offer privacy as well as protection through privacy-first motion sensors. These are camera-less radar sensors that send out real-time alerts if unusual changes to your loved one’s routine are detected.
Bed alarms
Bed alarms use sensors to predict if someone may be falling out of bed. While some studies have say that these alarms can decrease fall risks, others say the technology isn’t as advantageous as it seems. Rather than relying solely on a bed alarm to reduce your fall risk, researchers suggest using multiple alerts and safety approaches.
Doorbell cameras
Doorbell cameras can monitor who enters your home, keeping you aware of when you do, or don’t, need to rush to the door. Some doorbell cameras, like Ring cameras, connect to your smartphone or tablet so that you can virtually check in on people who are at your door, even if you yourself are not at home.
Smart locks
Smart locks are electronic locks that connect to your smartphone, allowing you to lock or unlock your door without walking over and turning a knob.
Like doorbell cameras, smart locks can be monitored from outside of the home. These can act as remote patient monitoring for elderly patients, and can assist caregivers in supporting their patients from afar.
Smart lighting
Smart lighting includes technologies like motion-detection lights and night lights. When placed strategically, these can reduce your fall risk by helping you to see your walkway more clearly and avoid tripping in the dark. Adding lamps, increasing the brightness of your ceiling light or installing LED strip lights around doorframes may also support your stability.
“Good lighting might sound simple, but tactics such as having night-lights in all rooms, placing a lamp within reach of the bed, turning lights on before going up or down stairs, keeping flashlights all around the house and getting illuminated light switches can go a long way in preventing falls and other injuries,” Schumann says.
Stability scales
Stability scales are devices that measure your balance capabilities. These devices tend to look like a scale to measure your weight, but work differently. Instead of calculating your mass, the scale assesses for teeny tiny adjustments in your stance that provide insight into your stability. Scale measurements pertain to when you step on the scale, and can change day by day.
Katharine Forth — the CEO of ZIBRIO, a stability scale company and an expert in the balance world, holding a PhD in motor control — explains that using a stability scale can be an educationally empowering, preventative approach for reducing falls.
Zibrio-affiliated studies have found that having access to the scale can reduce a person’s fall risk by up to 74%. The scale helps people plan ahead for the future, Forth explains.
[Read: Best At-Home Chair Exercises and Balance Exercises for Older Adults]
Top Supportive Technologies for Fall Reduction
Supportive footwear
Supportive footwear – which can look like a hardy pair of shoes with non-slip soles. While these might not be as fun as a pair of stilettos, they can be a relative ‘must’ for people who are at higher risk for falling, including older adults, Schumann says.
“Comfortable, sensible shoes are not only good for fall prevention, they’re also easier on the joints,” Schumann adds.
[READ: Common Foot Problems in Older Adults: Causes and Treatment]
Smart insoles
Smart insoles are AI-equipped shoe insoles that can serve as a senior gait analysis technology. These insoles analyze your foot dynamics and pressure distribution in your stance. Wearing smart insoles may help you identify balance issues to explore with your doctor. According to research, smart insoles may benefit people with Parkinson’s disease, diabetes or neuropathy, all of which are diseases that can elevate fall risk.
Canes or walkers
Canes or walkers can help you stay balanced in various settings, including the home, grocery store or rough outdoor terrain. Some people benefit from canes and walkers in all environments, whereas others may only rely on them in certain places.
Schumann says that “many seniors may be reluctant to use them as they don’t want to appear frail,” but that it is important to ignore stereotypes in pursuit of safety.
Grab bars or handrails
Grab bars or handrails are basic technologies with big benefits. Installing these in your bathroom and stairway can save you from a stumble in a hazardous area of your home, which can be especially important in preventing injuries, especially if you live at home alone.
[READ: AI Care Companions for Seniors]
How to Choose the Right Fall Detection System
Fall prevention devices can help reduce some of the risks, worries and health hazards associated with falling. Leaning on these supports can empower you to gain and maintain stability with age. The device or combination of device that is best for you may depend on your preferences, doctor’s recommendations and your comfortability with modern technology.
| Senior Lifestyle Type | Recommended Technology | Key Features | Why It Fits |
| The active senior: Walks, shops or travels alone | Mobile wearable (GPS-enabled) | Cellular, GPS tracking, two-way voice | Provides wearable sensors for balance and stability that work anywhere, not just at home |
| The homebody: Primarily stays indoors or in the yard | In-home base station | Long-range (up to 1,400 ft), landline or cellular | Most affordable monthly rates; no need for a smartphone or complex setup. |
| The tech-savvy senior: Wants health data and safety | Medical smartwatch or Apple Watch | Heart rate monitoring, step counting, ECG apps | Combines AI-powered fall detection with daily health tracking in a discreet design |
| The memory-impaired senior: May forget to wear or charge a device | Contactless AI home sensors | Radar or wall-mounted sensors, no wearable needed | Contactless fall sensors for home provide 24/7 safety without requiring the user to “remember” the tech |
| High-risk for “slow falls”: Parkinson’s, neuropathy or balance issues | AI-powered wearables and smart insoles | Advanced algorithms, gait analysis | Uses senior gait analysis technology to detect “slumping” or “sliding” falls that traditional sensors often miss |
| Chronic condition management: Needs oversight from a doctor | Remote Patient Monitoring | Daily health reporting to a clinical team | Offers remote patient monitoring for elderly patients, allowing doctors to spot decline before a fall occurs |
[READ: Understanding Home Health Care Service Options]
Questions to Ask Before Buying
Is it waterproof?
The majority of falls occur in the bathroom. Make sure wearables are “shower-safe” so you or your loved one can wear the device while bathing.
What is the “false alarm” rate?
Some older models may trigger a “false alarm” alert if you sit down or move too quickly. Newer technology with AI-powered systems is helping to reduce these false alerts.
Is there a “cancel anytime” policy?
Avoid long-term contracts for devices that require a subscription. Given changing needs of seniors, the best providers offer month-to-month service.
[SEE: 9 Gifts for Senior Safety]
Frequently Asked Questions
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Technology to Prevent Falls for Seniors originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/31/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
