D2 Monitoring and Managing Falls

D2. Monitoring and Managing Falls

Principal Investigator

Laura Rice, Ph.D.

Team

Jacob Sosnoff, Ph.D., Peter Presti, MSCS, Harshal Mahajan, Ph.D.

Students

Libak Abou, M.S., Mikaela Frechette, M.S.

Partners

Permobil, AB; Post-Polio Health International; Illinois Community Health and Aging Collaborative

Overview

Falls are common among wheelchair users and can result in injury, added challenges with daily activities, and admissions to hospitals and long-term care facilities. We are developing a system that will accurately detect falls from wheelchairs to automatically alert caregivers or emergency professionals who can quickly respond to help. This will be accomplished through measuring acceleration patterns to detect a fall from a wheelchair and developing, refining, and evaluating a prototype for a customizable fall detection system. We will develop and test the prototype with the long-term goal of improving fall outcomes and recovery for wheelchair users.

woman getting off electric scooter to use crutches

electric scooter control pad

Project Status

Our team recently shared the first iteration of the fall detection device with community-dwelling adults for usability and feasibility testing. Quantitative data collected during its use and qualitative data following its use are informing necessary changes to the device’s design and algorithm. The development of a compatible smartphone application is underway to allow for user interface with the device. Community testing of the second iteration will begin shortly!

In the video below, a student does a controlled, backwards fall from a wheelchair in the laboratory setting as part of an effort to measure acceleration patterns of different types of falls among wheelchair users.

Publications

Abou, L., Fliflet, A., Hawari, L., Presti, P., Sosnoff, J., Frechette, M., Rice, L.A. (In Press) Sensitivity of Apple Watch Fall Detection Device Among Wheelchair Users. Assistive Technology. 2021 Apr 26. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2021.1923087

Abou, L., Rice, L.A., Frechette, M.L., Sosnoff, J.J. (In Press) Feasibility and preliminary reliability and validity of remote sitting balance assessments among wheelchair users. Int J Rehabil Res. 2021, Jan. 19. doi: 10.1097/MRR.0000000000000458.

Sung J, Shen S, Peterson EW, Sosnoff JJ, Backus D, Rice LA. Fear of Falling, Community Participation, and Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling People Who Use Wheelchairs Full Time. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2020 Dec 22: S0003-9993(20)31321-6. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.11.013.

Rice, L.A., Yarnot, R., Peterson, E.W., Backus, D., Sosnoff, J.M. (2021) Fall Prevention for People with Multiple Sclerosis Who Use Wheelchairs. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2021 April; 102 (4): 810-804. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.10.107

Frechette, M.L., Abou, L., Rice, L.A., Sosnoff, J.J. (2020) The Validity, Reliability and Sensitivity of a Smartphone-based Seated Postural Control Assessment in Wheelchair Users. Front Sports Act Living. 2020 Dec 17; 2:540930. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2020.540930

Abou, L., Sung, JH., Sosnoff, JJ., Rice, LA. (2020) Reliability and validity of the Function in Sitting Test (FIST) Among Non-Ambulatory Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. J Spinal Cord Med. 2020 Nov; 43(6): 846-853. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2019.1605749

Rice, LA., Sung, JH., Keane, K., Peterson, EW, Sosnoff, JJ. (2020) A Brief Fall Prevention Intervention for Manual Wheelchair Users with Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study. J Spinal Cord Med. 2020, Sept; 43 (5): 607-615. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2019.1643070

Rice, L. A., Sung, J. H., Peters, J., Bartlo, W., Sosnoff, J. (2019). Perceptions of fall circumstances, recovery methods and community participation In manual wheelchair users. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001161

Sung, J., Trace, Y., Peterson, E., Sosnoff, J., Rice, LA. (2019) Falls among fulltime wheeled mobility device users with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis: A comparison of characteristics of fallers and circumstances of falls. DisabilRehab 2019 Feb; 41(4): 389-395 doi: 10.1080/09638288.2017.1393111.

Rice, L.A., Peterson, E.W., Backus, D., Sung, J.H., Yarnot, R., Abou, L., VanDenend, T., Shen, S., Sosnoff, J.J. (2019) Validation of an Individualized Reduction of Falls (iROLL) Intervention Program Among Wheelchair and Scooter Users with Multiple Sclerosis. Medicine. 2019 May; 98(19): e15418 doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000015418.

Rice, LA., About, L., vanDenend, T., Peterson, E., Sosnoff, J.J. (2018). Falls among wheelchair and scooter users with multiple sclerosis. US Neurology, 14(2): 82-7. 10.17925/USN.2018.14.2.82

Rice, L.A., Sung, J.H, Peters, J., Bartlo, W., Sosnoff, J. (2018). Perceptions of fall circumstances, injuries and recovery techniques among power wheelchair users. Clinical Rehabilitation 32(7) 985-993. 10.1177/0269215518768385

Rice, L.A. Isaacs, Z., Ousley, C., Sosnoff, J.J. (2018). Investigation of the feasibility of an intervention to manage fall risk among wheeled mobility device users with multiple sclerosis. International Journal of Multiple Sclerosis Care. 20-3:121-128. 10.7224/1537-2073.2016-097

Sung, J., Trace, Y., Peterson, E., Sosnoff, J., Rice, L. A. (2017). Falls among fulltime wheeled mobility device users with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis: A comparison of characteristics of fallers and circumstances of falls. DisabilRehab, 41, 389 -395. 10.1080/09638288.2017.1393111

Rice, L.A. Kalron, A., Berkowitz, S., Backus, D., Sosnoff, J.J. (2017). Fall prevalence in wheeled mobility device users living with multiple sclerosis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96:35(e7860). 10.1016/j.apmr.2016.08.120

Rice, L.A., Ousley, C., Sosnoff, J. J. (2015). A systematic review of risk factors associated with accidental falls, outcome measures and interventions to manage fall risk in non-ambulatory adults. Disabil Rehabil. 37(19): 1697-705. 10.3109/09638288.2014.976718

TechSAge RERC

A collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign