[M-HEAL] MEND

Abstract

MEND, a project in the mother organization M-HEAL, is focused on developing a device to minimize fall injury among older adults. In the US, older adult fall incidence and injury are major issues among hospitalized/assisted living populations. Our goal is to provide a solution which not only minimizes the damage of falls, but is comfortable, easy for caregivers to use, and can be fluidly incorporated into current hospital/assisted living infrastructures. While it is fairly simple to develop a device to prevent falls, it is significantly more difficult to make one which older adults will be comfortable with wearing without feeling self-conscious or stigmatized in their own communities. As a result, our project is two-pronged, not only focusing on the engineering of a solution, but also on the opinions and attitudes older adults have towards existing devices. This more holistic, human-centered approach will allow us to better motivate a design solution.