We have the iPod, the iPhone… now the… iShoe!
July 29, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Seriously. The iShoe is in testing stages now, but I don’t think it’s what you think it might be.
A major health risk that many seniors face is falling. Because of their age and their body, seniors who fall are a high risk of breaking a hip and that can be life changing, and even fatal, for them (Broken hips can mean much more than pain in the elderly ). In this case, prevention from falls is vital.
According to this article, Shoe that warns when you’re going to fall could slash the number of hip fractures, the iShoe is a high-tech insole packed with computerized sensors that monitors the wearer’s balance through the soles of the feet.
At this point, it’s still in the development and testing stages, not something that can be used by the average person, but it does have promise. The device was originally developed for NASA so they could monitor the balance in astronauts after they’d been in zero gravity while in space.
The author of the article wrote, “One reason why the elderly are so at risk is that the nerves most
distant from the brain, such as in the foot, tend to decline in
activity as part of the ageing process. These nerves normally
relay signals to the brain about which part of the foot is bearing the
most weight and whether that is going to affect balance. If there is
any indication that the body might be about to topple over, the brain
makes an immediate adjustment by realigning the body’s balance.”
A device like this could truly and literally be a life saver.
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We have the iPod, the iPhone… now the… iShoe!
July 29, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Seriously. The iShoe is in testing stages now, but I don’t think it’s what you think it might be.
A major health risk that many seniors face is falling. Because of their age and their body, seniors who fall are a high risk of breaking a hip and that can be life changing, and even fatal, for them (Broken hips can mean much more than pain in the elderly ). In this case, prevention from falls is vital.
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Anything that helps with this would be wonderful!
Something for everyone to watch for: When my grandma was still alive she fell because the sole of one of her shoes came loose and tripped her. She knew about the loose sole, but kept wearing the shoes anyway and even refused to throw them away.
She was lucky she wasn’t hurt in her fall. Other people might not be so lucky. So if you’ve got a stubborn loved one, you might want to check his or her shoes every so often just to be on the safe side.
You make an excellent point Diana. Thanks for posting that. While we’re at it, can we talk about the really dangerous slippers that some of our seniors wear? The ones with no treads? Accident waiting to happen!