New iOS 15 feature warns you if you're at risk of falling

byFlorian published on

Many of you reading this article probably know that the Apple Watch has a fall detection feature. which has already saved lives. If the watch detects a hard fall, it taps you on the wrist, triggers an alarm, and displays an alert. From the screen, you can contact the emergency services or deactivate the alarm by tapping on the "I'm fine" option.

Apple's new drop prevention feature in iOS 15 may save your life

If your watch determines that you haven't moved for about a minute, it will call emergency services and track that by sending messages to your emergency contacts with your location. The fall detection function can be used by people 18 years or older and if you are 55 years and older, the fall detection will be enabled by default.

A report in The Wall Street Journal notes that Apple has added a new feature to iOS 15 which is designed not to detect drops like the Apple Watch, but to prevent them from happening in the first place. The Health app available on the iPhone will track certain metrics related to the way you walk.

For example, your gait asymmetry is measured and it shows the percentage of times that the steps you take with one foot are faster or slower than the steps taken with the other foot. The lower the percentage of times this happens, the healthier your walking pace. Lameness can be a sign of illness, injury, or other health problems.

Your iPhone will follow this measurement when the device is worn close to your waist (like in a pocket) and you walk on level ground. After a few days of data collection, it will send you a notification letting you know if your percentage is correct, low, or very low.

The Health app can send a gait stability notification which can let you know via a notification when your gait stability score is low. A low score means that you are at risk of falling over the next year and that you could use certain exercises to improve your strength and balance; Apple's Health app has videos of five of these exercises. The gait stability metric is calculated using your gait speed, double-tap duration, step length, and gait asymmetry.

25% of Americans 65 and over fall each year

As Apple points out, as the stability decreases, the risk of a fall increases. And this is important because one in four Americans 65 and over falls each year, resulting in hip fractures and brain damage. The CDC reports that the death rate of older Americans from falls increased 30% from 2007 to 2016. If this rate continues, the CDC predicts that by 2030 there will be seven deaths per hour from falls. falls.

Falling once doubles the chances of a person falling again. And while the videos Apple provided on the Health app was a good place to start, physiotherapist Jessica Schwartz, spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association, was more measured in her comments on these exercises. “In reality, any movement is better than not,” she said. “They are a great starting point for getting in touch with a healthcare professional. "

Dr Schwartz adds that walking data can help give doctors and therapists the explanation behind a person's unsteady gait and help them create specially designed exercises and other solutions. She plans to tell her customers who have iPhones to update to iOS 15, opt for the Walking Stability feature, and share the results with her. She says, “I often come after an injury from a fall. I want to see people when they're not already on the floor. "

To configure gait stability notifications, go to the Health app. Press Summary and scroll down until you see Walk Stability Notifications. Tap Configure and add information such as height, weight, and age. Make sure to turn on notifications. It will take a few days to collect enough information for a notification to be sent. You can check your progress by selecting the Browse tab in the lower right corner and select Mobility > Walking Stability.

Also read