My mother or father falls often: what should I do?

My father or mother falls often: what are the options?

If an injury, a faint spell or a loss of consciousness has just occurred, medical assessment or the emergency services (999 or 112; in France also 15) come before any search for equipment. This page is not a first-aid protocol.

Outside an emergency, repeated falls deserve to be looked at in layers, not met with an immediate purchase.

1) Understand the causes and risk factors (vision, medication, balance, low blood pressure, environment) with a professional.

2) Review the home and environment (lighting, floors, bathroom, night).

3) Consider support for mobility or balance (walking stick, walking frame, rehabilitation) if it suits the person.

4) If the person lives alone, alerts and remote assistance can matter after an event.

5) Physical protection can be discussed to limit the impact during a fall.

6) Elder can be an airbag vest option (category II PPE) for a compatible user, not the only solution.

7) Care can be relevant for alerts and assistance, separate from physical protection.

When a parent falls often

Repeated falls are first a medical signal, not a signal to buy. Check-up (vision, medication, balance, blood pressure) with the GP.

Talk about safety without making them feel guilty. Refusing a technical aid does not mean buying a vest.

The options can then be sorted by category: home, mobility, alerts if the person is alone, physical protection if the risk of impact remains high.

Elder can be an airbag vest option for a compatible user. Care can be used for alerts. Neither prevents the fall or replaces the doctor.

Before, during and after the fall

Before: prevention, risk factors, mobility, balance, home, professional advice.

During: physical protection on impact, where a vest or other body protection may be relevant.

After: alerts and assistance (Care if needed), then the medical pathway. Do not merge these three stages.

If the person refuses a technical aid

Refusing a walking frame or another aid does not automatically make Elder the main solution.

Respect the refusal, keep the check-up and the home review, then discuss acceptable options (home adaptation, alerts, possibly wearable protection) without pressure.

Medical framework: what Elder does and does not do

Elder is personal protective equipment, not a medical device or a treatment. It cushions the impact of a detected fall; it does not diagnose, does not treat and does not replace a prescribed helmet.

Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, severe osteoporosis, a history of repeated falls or post-surgical convalescence: consult the doctor or neurologist before any prolonged wear.

Elder does not prevent convulsive seizures, does not stop fainting and does not promise zero fractures. Marketing promises of “100% fall-proof” deserve scepticism.

Physiotherapists, occupational therapists and community nurses can fit the vest into a personalised prevention plan and train the family to replace the cartridges.

Making the home safe: the first barrier before any purchase

Adapting the home (lighting for night-time corridors, steps, bathroom, grab rails) is a priority lever for the French health authority HAS and for French national health insurance (Assurance Maladie). A badly fixed rug or a trailing cable remains a classic risk factor.

Grab rails near the toilet and the bath, closed shoes with non-slip soles and the removal of unnecessary thresholds make a real difference to daily life.

A home assessment by an occupational therapist or a qualified home carer spots hidden risks: an unstable stool, furniture that is too low, insufficient light near the dining table.

Before considering an airbag vest, check that the floor is not the main culprit. Fewer falls are better than frequent deployments.

Balance, strengthening and regained confidence

Balance exercises prescribed in physiotherapy, guided walking and activities such as tai chi reduce the frequency of falls when practised regularly, without eliminating fainting or sudden faint spells.

Fear of falling again sometimes keeps the older person in their armchair, speeding up muscle deconditioning. Naming this fear kindly opens the door to discreet and acceptable solutions.

Strengthening the calves, glutes and core improves postural reaction, but no programme guarantees zero falls in the face of an epileptic seizure or orthostatic hypotension.

Protective equipment can restore the wish to get up alone to prepare a meal, provided you never promise the impossible to the family.

Body protection: Elder, CE category II PPE

Elder (CHUTEX) is a personal airbag vest, certified as category II PPE. It detects a fall and inflates to cushion the head, neck, back, pelvis, hips and neck of the femur.

Unlike a simple pendant, Elder acts before the body hits the ground. It does not prevent the fall, does not stop an epileptic seizure and does not guarantee the absence of a fracture.

Conventional hip protectors require continuous wear; the airbag vest deploys automatically when the algorithm recognises a fall, provided it fits well, in sizes S to XXL.

After a real deployment, replace the two helium cartridges in about thirty seconds: the vest is reusable. Train carers in this procedure before the first incident.

Practical summary for carers

Start with a medical check-up after any fall, even one that seems minor: fainting, arrhythmia or infection may be involved and must be treated before buying any equipment.

Make the home safe first: a fall avoided is better than an airbag deployed every week. Grab rails, lighting and suitable footwear remain the foundation.

Compare on paper personal alarm, watch, hip protectors and airbag vest: role, adherence, total cost over five years, CE certification and zones covered.

Elder stands out for protection before impact and alerts via the Chutex app. It does not replace 999 or 112 (in France also 15), neurological treatment or Chutex Care outside France.

Plan who replaces the cartridges, who receives the alerts and how to test without wasting a consumable: preparation reduces stress on the day of a real fall.

Reassess the solution every six months with the doctor: independence, treatments and home adaptations change; the equipment must keep up.

If in doubt, ask for an Elder demonstration through a CHUTEX partner or the official product page.

Medical teleconsultations are currently available in France only.

What Elder does, and what it does not do

Elder does

• Detects a fall in progress, then deploys an airbag before impact.
• Cushions the impact on the head, neck, back, pelvis, hips and neck of the femur.
• Alerts the configured loved ones via the Chutex app after a deployment.
• Can be reused after replacing the helium cartridges (about 30 seconds).
• Complements a fall-prevention strategy (environment, activity, medical follow-up).

Elder does not

• Prevent all falls or guarantee the absence of a fracture.
• Replace medical advice, physiotherapy or adapting the home.
• Prevent or treat an epileptic seizure, or replace a helmet if one is prescribed.
• Act as a life-saving emergency device (call 999 or 112 in an emergency; in France also 15).
• Replace round-the-clock (24 h/24) human remote assistance (Chutex Care remains a separate service; medical teleconsultations and partner home care are currently available in France).

Personal protective equipment (category II PPE, CE marking). If you have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before use.

Sources

• French health authority HAS: Assessment and management of older people who fall repeatedly
• French health authority HAS: Prevention of accidental falls in older people

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