This article isn't about fall prevention — even though we're publishing it during Falls Prevention Awareness Week.
It's about what happens when prevention fails and a fall does occur — and how adding a free app can make life safer for seniors living alone, and for the family caregivers who worry about them.
Fall prevention is a well-known, important topic, and we should keep training and educating on it. But prevention alone is not enough. Falls still happen, and we have to be ready for when they do.
Falls still happen — and the long lie does the damage
Over 14 million US adults aged 65+ report falling each year, according to the CDC. In Canada, about one in five older adults report a fall each year — more than 1.5 million people.
1 in 5 falls become a "Long Lie" (Sheffield/NIHR), getting stranded on the floor for an hour or more.
We've all heard of people who were injured — or worse — after lying on the floor for many hours, or even days. In those cases, it is often the long lie that does most of the damage, not the fall itself.
Even more important for seniors living alone
More than one in four Americans aged 65 and older live alone — roughly 16 million people. In Canada, one in five people aged 65 to 69 live alone, and more than two in five of those 85 and older.
When you're stranded on the floor with nobody nearby, the question becomes: how quickly will someone notice, and how quickly can help arrive?
The research here is clear: time saves lives. In a study on older people found helpless at home (Gurley et al., NEJM), death rate for long lies of 72+ hours was 67%, compared to 12% for under 1 hour. The long lie increases the death rate 5x! Similar stats apply to being able to return to normal function after a fall.
So how will someone know?
Traditionally, the answer has been wearable devices — SOS bracelets and pendants — or dedicated sensors and cameras, with all the cost, complexity, and privacy concerns that come with them.
The most invasive options, sensors and cameras, are typically used for people whose function is already limited and who are under close observation. They aren't used broadly.
The more common option is an SOS button, bracelet, or pendant. This is a multi-billion market, with millions of devices sold. So why do we still see so many long-lie injuries?
The three limits of wearables
- Cost. These devices aren't cheap. There's a setup cost and an ongoing subscription, which immediately limits how many people get one. Some families can't afford them; others think twice before buying.
- Technology. In the end, the button has to be pressed — or, on some models, the device has to sense a hard fall. If the wearer is unconscious, no alert goes out. If the button is on the bedside table when the fall happens, no alert goes out. If the emergency isn't a fall at all (say, they never woke up), no alert goes out.
- Refusal. Dedicated wearables are often refused by the very people they're meant for — openly ("I'm not that old, I don't need that") or quietly (after a few months, the button stays on the bedside table). A wearable that isn't worn can't help.
A new approach: the phone they already use
Today, 78% of Americans 65 and older own a smartphone (Pew Research Center, 2025), and that share keeps growing. That makes a new approach possible.
A safety layer that's free, with nothing to wear (or forget to wear), that works even when the emergency isn't a fall — and that respects their privacy.
It's called CareTrigger.
How CareTrigger works
CareTrigger is a free phone app. There's no dedicated device and nothing to wear — just the phone they already use. It goes on their phone and on yours.
You don't need to do anything or press any buttons, either. Once installed, CareTrigger learns when the person usually uses their phone. If their phone suddenly goes quiet for unusually long, family gets an alert.
"Unusually" is personal: different people use their phones differently, and CareTrigger adapts to each person to keep false alerts down. Alerts aren't instant — they come hours, not days, after activity stops, by design. That is far better than no alert at all.
There's also the everyday peace of mind of opening the app and seeing that Mom is already active this morning.
It's a free safety layer that anyone can get.
What CareTrigger covers that wearables can't
- Not wearing the device when they fall? A wearable won't send an alert. CareTrigger will.
- Wearing the device, but unable to press the button? Same story.
- Incapacitation that isn't a fall — never waking up, collapsing in a chair, being unable to reach the phone. A pendant that isn't pressed stays silent; a phone that goes quiet is exactly what CareTrigger notices.
Does this replace wearables?
No. It's another safety layer.
When wearables are acceptable, use them AND CareTrigger both. CareTrigger is a fallback for when the wearable fails (and it's free so why not?)
And when a wearable is refused, or too expensive, at least get CareTrigger. A free safety layer is much better than nothing.
Share it with someone who needs it
Most of us either care for someone who lives alone, or know someone who does. CareTrigger is free on the App Store and Google Play, anywhere in the world. Download it — or share this with someone who needs it.
FAQ
Is CareTrigger really free?
Yes. CareTrigger is a free phone app for iPhone and Android. There is no dedicated device to buy, nothing to wear, and no subscription — it runs on the phone your loved one already uses.
Does CareTrigger replace a medical alert pendant?
No. It is another safety layer. When a pendant is acceptable, use both: a button that is worn and pressed right away gets help in minutes, and CareTrigger is the fallback for when it isn't. When a pendant is refused or too expensive, CareTrigger is a free safety layer — much better than nothing.
How quickly does CareTrigger alert family?
Hours, not days — by design. CareTrigger learns each person's normal phone use and alerts family only when their phone has gone quiet for unusually long for them, which keeps false alerts down. It is not instant.
Does CareTrigger detect falls?
No. CareTrigger doesn't prevent falls and doesn't detect them. It notices when a phone goes quiet for unusually long — which is also why it covers emergencies that aren't falls, like never waking up. It is not a medical device and not an emergency service, and alerts go only to the family members you choose.