Today’s prescription hearing aids do much more than help with hearing. They are powerful tools for overall health and safety. One of the biggest innovations is the introduction of hearing aids with fall detection and automatic alert systems. This technology is especially valuable for older adults or people with balance or mobility difficulties.
Falls are one of the most common causes of injury in older adults, and hearing loss is a known factor that increases that risk. In fact, even mild degrees of hearing loss triple the risk of falls in adults between the ages of 40-69 years old.1
In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about hearing aids with fall detection, including how they work and key benefits for both users and their loved ones.
What are Hearing Aids with Fall Detection?
Hearing aids with fall detection offer both hearing support and enhanced personal safety in one discreet, wearable device. Equipped with built-in motion sensors, these advanced hearing aids can monitor body movement and orientation. If a sudden change consistent with a fall is detected, it can trigger an automatic alert.
Prescription hearing aids are custom-fit to your ear to ensure maximum comfort all day. This means they’re always with you when it matters most, making them a practical and reliable tool for fall detection.
Audibel hearing aids are the first and only devices with built-in sensors that detect falls. This technology helps people live more independently, with the reassurance that help is just an alert away.
What Hearing Aids Have Fall Detection?
All Audibel AI hearing aids have fall detection and automatic alert capabilities through the My Audibel app and/or the Thrive Hearing Control app. This includes the Vitality AI, Intrigue AI, and Arc AI hearing aids:
Vitality AI
Go beyond better hearing with the industry’s most advanced AI-powered sound processing technology.
Learn more >>>
Intrigue AI
Experience AI technology that mimics the way our brain naturally processes sound for effortless clarity in any environment.
Learn more >>>
Arc AI
Restore effortless listening and communication with AI-driven sound processing.
Learn more >>>
How Do Hearing Aids with Fall Detection Work?
Hearing aids with fall detection rely on a combination of advanced motion-sensing technology and smart algorithms to recognize when a fall has occurred. This advanced technology works quietly in the background to monitor your movements and respond in the event of a fall.
Here’s a closer look at how hearing aids with fall detection work:
Built-In Motion Sensors
Hearing aids with fall detection are equipped with small but powerful motion sensors that continuously track body movement, speed, and orientation.
Much like the technology found in smartphones and fitness trackers, these sensors can recognize whether you’re walking, sitting, standing, or in motion. In fact, the same sensors used for fall detection also power the fitness tracking features in these hearing aids.
This constant, behind-the-scenes monitoring allows the hearing aids to quickly identify sudden or unusual movement patterns that could signal a fall.
Fall Detection Algorithms
When a sudden change in motion occurs, like a quick downward movement, it is flagged as a potential fall. Instantly, specialized algorithms begin analyzing the data, and within seconds, the system can determine whether an actual fall has occurred.
To reduce false alarms, the system considers factors like the speed and direction of the movement, impact intensity, and whether the person remains still after the event. If the algorithm determines the event was a fall, it automatically initiates the alert system.
Automatic Fall Alerts
When a fall is detected, a signal is sent from the hearing aids to a smartphone app like My Audibel or Thrive Hearing Control via Bluetooth. This automatically triggers an emergency alert to be sent to pre-selected emergency contacts, such as a family member or caregiver.
If the wearer is unharmed and does not need help, the alert can be canceled directly through the app or by interacting with the hearing aid.
This seamless process ensures that help is always a quick alert away, offering life-saving assistance, enhanced safety, and peace of mind to hearing aid wearers and their loved ones.
Benefits of Hearing Aids with Fall Detection
Hearing aids with fall detection do so much more than improve hearing. They also support your safety, independence, and daily quality of life.
Below, we take a closer look at some of the key benefits of this innovative hearing aid technology:
Enhanced Safety and Independence
Perhaps the most important benefit of fall detection is the added safety and independence this technology can provide. If a fall occurs, the hearing aid triggers an automatic alert to be sent to emergency contacts, so trusted friends, family, or caregivers can respond quickly.
For people who live alone or have balance or mobility differences that increase fall risk, this feature can be both lifesaving and reassuring. Whether it’s going for a walk, gardening, or simply moving about the house, engaging in daily activities is less stressful.
That sense of security supports mental and emotional well-being, encouraging a more independent and active lifestyle.
Get Help Quickly
If a fall occurs, your hearing aids will quickly send a text message alert to up to 3 emergency contacts. The alert includes your exact location, so help can find you quickly, even if you’re unable to respond.
This fast communication can mean the difference between waiting hours for help and getting timely assistance.
Accuracy and Reliability
In a 2020 study, hearing aids with fall detection were shown to be as accurate—and in some cases even more accurate—than traditional fall alert pendants.2 One key reason is their placement at ear level, which is naturally closer to your body’s center of balance.
This allows the device’s motion sensors to detect changes in movement and orientation more precisely than devices worn around the wrist or neck.
Discreet and Convenient
Unlike some alert devices or emergency pendants that can be easy to forget to wear or hard to conceal, hearing aids with fall detection are seamless and discreet. Since hearing aids are already a part of your daily routine, there’s no need to carry around or remember an extra device.
Everything is built in and ready to go, without drawing attention or getting in the way.
Fitness Tracking Capabilities
Audibel hearing aids with fall detection also come with built-in fitness tracking features. Using the same motion sensors, they can track your steps, daily activity, and even engagement metrics.
It’s an added layer of health insight that can help you set goals and stay active.
Balance Assessment Tests
In addition to fall detection alerts, the My Audibel app also offers a self-guided balance assessment test to evaluate your stability and steadiness on your feet. Through a series of simple movements, the same motion sensors that detect falls can also help you identify early signs of balance issues and combat the risk of falling before it even happens.
In fact, according to a recent Stanford University study, the Audibel balance assessment feature showed promise for identifying fall risks without the need for traditional screenings.3
Try Hearing Aids with Fall Detection for Free at Audibel Hearing Clinics
Hearing aids with fall detection are multi-functional health tools, supporting not just hearing, but also mobility, fitness, and safety. Ready to experience this life-changing hearing aid technology for yourself?
Find an Audibel clinic near you to schedule an appointment for a FREE demo.
References
- Lin, F. R., & Ferrucci, L. (2012). Hearing loss and falls among older adults in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(4), 369. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.728
- Burwinkel, J. R., Xu, B., & Crukley, J. (2020). Preliminary Examination of the Accuracy of a Fall Detection Device Embedded into Hearing Instruments. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 31(06), 393–403. https://doi.org/10.3766/jaaa.19056
- Steenerson, K. K., Griswold, B., Keating, D. P., Srour, M., Burwinkel, J. R., Isanhart, E., Ma, Y., Fabry, D. A., Bhowmik, A. K., Jackler, R. K., & Fitzgerald, M. B. (2024). Use of Hearing Aids Embedded with Inertial Sensors and Artificial Intelligence to Identify Patients at Risk for Falling. Otology & Neurotology, 46(2), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.1097/mao.0000000000004386
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