Reliable and Secure Body fall Detection Algorithm in a Wireless Mesh Network

Falls in elderly is one of the most serious causes of severe injury and lack in immediate medical help makes these injuries life threatening. An automatic fall detection system, presented in this research, will help reduce the arrival time of medical attention, reduce the mortality rate and in turn promote independent living. This research finds its primary application in the nursing homes and hospitals which account for highest elderly fall as compared to homes. In this research, body falls are detected with the help of a small wearable embedded device. The proposed design aims at distinguishing between a real fall and Activities of Daily Life (ADL). The device is a programmable wrist watch with an in-built accelerometer sensor and microcontroller circuitry. On detection of fall, the watch sends a signal to the neighboring receptor node watch, worn by nurses and alerts them of a fallen patient. The display on these watches notifies as to which patient fell. Signal transmission and reception between these devices is via wireless communication, where every patient watch acts as a sensor node forwarding the signal to the nearest neighboring node.