DALLAS – One in four Americans, 65 and older will fall this year.
Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room from a fall, and every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
A new tech solution now summons help and can also coach seniors how to stay strong.
Three years ago, 70-year-old Sandy Craven had a major stroke.
Craven lives alone, and since then, she's fallen more than a dozen times. Sometimes she can't get up.
"One time I fell and I drug myself from the utility room into the den, where I could get up in the recliner," Craven said.
Craven fell so often that she needed a lifeline.
She tried several medical alert systems, but didn't like that they notified a call center and even called 911, before knowing if it was a real emergency.
Then she found MyNotifi, which she wears on her wrist, like a watch. MyNotifi detects falls, uses GPS and is connected to her cell phone. The device sends a text to her loved ones if she falls.
If she can't speak, they will know to call 911 immediately.
"If you fall, you just instantly tap your phone. In just a minute, my daughter's phone will ring," Craven said.
Seniors often lose core strength, which contributes to instability. The MyNotifi app also suggests exercises to improve strength and reduce falls.
"They (falls) become more problematic as we get older because we take it for granted that it's going to happen rather than fight it," said Dr. John Early, an orthopedic surgeon from Texas Orthopedic Associates.
The cost of the MyNotifi is $299. Since it does not use a call center, there is no monthly monitoring fee.
While the user can initiate a call by tapping on the device, the MyNotifi also uses an algorithm to detect if a person has fallen and alerts the people in the wearer's network.