Monitoring falls in elderly people: Lessons from a community-based project

This paper describes an evaluation of a community-based
fall-detection project using smart phone based tri-axial accelerometry to identify
factors that affect adoption and use of such technology by elderly people. Methods.
A mixed methods study using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews was
conducted to evaluate attitudes of the elderly people participating, as well as
project stakeholders involved in the project. Information registered in a web-based
fall management system was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, using
an adapted version of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
(UTAUT). Results. Adoption rate was 61.7% and attrition rate was 57%, the most
common reasons for attrition being health deterioration (50%) and problems with
the device and the network (26.2%). Conclusion. We identified a number of
challenges that affected the success of this project, including problems with the
software, usability issues with the device, coverage of the network, training of
participants, and inadequacy of providing participants with a strong sense of safety
and security.