Inspiration

The drive to develop this app came from both personal encounters and concerning data about falls in the elderly population. My volunteer work at a nearby senior home exposed me to some seniors who had faced injuries from unattended falls. A personal memory that deeply affected me was witnessing my grandmother's fall in the kitchen while cooking. Thankfully, I was present to help and call for emergency services immediately. These personal encounters were underscored by the fact that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injury and injury death among older adults in the United States. In 2020 alone, over one in four older adults (age 65+) experienced a fall, amounting to over 36 million reported falls. These falls led to 3 million older adults being treated in emergency departments, with over 800,000 hospitalizations, primarily due to head injuries or hip fractures, and tragically resulted in more than 32,000 deaths. Recognizing the profound impact of these statistics and my firsthand experiences, I felt an urgent need for a reliable system that could detect falls in real-time and alert caregivers or family members. Thus, Companion Catch was born, aiming to bridge this gap, using technology as a safety net to provide timely intervention during these vulnerable moments.