It started with a fall…

A few years back Lee Omar’s Grandad fell in the middle of the night. It was dark, he’d gotten up to use the bathroom and he lost his balance.  He cracked his cheekbone on the sink, and was in and out of consciousness for the next 6 hours.  He had a black eye and bruising all over his face.  As awful as this was, it was the aftermath that really haunts Lee.  His grandfather had always lit up the room with his confidence and charm.  However after the fall he started to retreat.  He became nervous, he didn’t trust his own body.  He started to tell people he was afraid to leave the house.  He stopped socialising as much as he had.  It wasn’t long after this that he passed away, he was 79.  

This was understandably devastating for Lee and his family, but---this gave Lee an idea.  To use technology to monitor risks and behavior and to prevent falls.

The seed that germinated and grew from this idea was Safe Steps. Safe Steps, a digital falls risk assessment tool was developed to use “tech for good” to prevent falls in the elderly population and keep them out of hospital. 

A lot of people don’t realise that falling is the most common cause of injury related death of people over 75.  Perhaps a more sinister fact is that falling can also cause PTSD in older people. 

Even when these accidents don't cause an injury, they often trigger a loss of confidence in an older person and lead to an ongoing fear of falling. Over time, this can lead to the person limiting their movements and reducing their activity, which in turn further increases their risk of losing their balance.

All of this led Lee to one conclusion: eliminate falls.  We at Safe Steps are proud to say we  have been 31% effective in reducing falls in care homes and hospitals. 

It started with a fall and ended with a solution.  Help us keep your loved ones safe.

Safe Steps