Guides / Fall detection for elderly people
Plain guideA fall detection device for an older person does one job: it lets someone know quickly when a fall may have happened. There are three main kinds, and each asks something different of the person wearing, or not wearing, it. Here they are, honestly, with the questions worth asking before you buy.
Falls were the leading cause of injury hospitalisations in Australia in 2024 to 2025, and people aged 65 and over were hospitalised for falls 12 times more often than adults aged 25 to 44. Home was the most commonly recorded place where fall injuries happened. (AIHW)
No device stops a fall. What an elderly fall monitoring system can do is shorten the time between a fall and someone knowing about it, especially for a person who lives alone or spends long stretches on their own. Good habits at home still come first, and our guide on how to prevent falls at home is a sensible place to start.
The three main types
A pendant, wristband or smartwatch the person wears. Some have a help button to press, some also try to detect a fall automatically from sudden movement, and many can be monitored 24/7 for a monthly fee. They go wherever the person goes, which is a real strength. The catch is that they only help if they are worn, charged and, for button models, pressed. Automatic detection can miss slow or braced falls.
Cameras in the home, with software or a person watching for a fall. They can suit some shared or supervised settings and give a clear picture of what happened. They also capture images, so privacy, consent and dignity need careful thought, particularly in bedrooms and bathrooms, where many people would rather not have a camera at all.
A small sensor on the ceiling or wall that uses radar to notice movement in the room, including a fall. Nothing to wear or charge, and no images or video. It suits the rooms where falls tend to happen unseen, such as the bedroom and bathroom at night. It covers part of a room, not the whole home, and not the person when they are out.
Features vary between models, so treat these as typical and check the specific product. For a fuller side by side, including pressure pads, see our fall detection comparison. Wearable details draw on the CHOICE personal alarm buying guide.
Who each suits
will reliably wear it, day and night, keeps it charged, and is often out of the house. It is also familiar, which matters to some people.
some supervised or shared settings where everyone involved has agreed to it, and where privacy has been properly thought through.
will not or cannot wear or charge something, may not be able to press a button after a fall, or values privacy at home. Many households pair it with a wearable for time out.
An occupational therapist can help you weigh it up, especially if funding is involved.
Seenyor is the radar sensor in our catalogue. It is camera-free and nothing is worn: the sensor goes on the ceiling of the room it watches and sends an alert to the Seenyor app when it detects a fall in its coverage area. It can also give wellbeing information such as presence, sleep reports and breathing in a monitored bed area.
The device is A$770 + GST (A$847 inc GST), a one-off price per device. An optional 24/7 monitoring plan is available as a separate monthly subscription, agreed after installation.
It has honest limits. Fall detection covers about 24 square metres per device, so most homes use one or two, usually in the bedroom and bathroom. It needs mains power and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (or the 4G version), it cannot see through walls, it is not recommended where pets share the room, and it alerts after a set time on the floor, 60 seconds by default. (Seenyor specifications, placement, alarms)
Seenyor is a non-medical assistive safety and wellbeing system. It alerts people quickly; it does not prevent falls or replace care.
Funding depends on the person, their program and an assessment, so this is general information only.
This page is general information, not funding, eligibility or clinical advice. Your planner, plan manager, support coordinator, occupational therapist, aged care provider or My Aged Care can tell you what applies to you.
Questions
There is no single best one. The right device is the one the person will actually use, in the places falls worry you most, with someone ready to respond. A wearable suits someone often out of the house who reliably wears it. A radar sensor suits someone who will not or cannot wear one, particularly in the bedroom and bathroom.
No. Fall detection does not prevent a fall. It is designed to let someone know quickly when a fall has been detected.
Some do. Wearables and radar sensors do not. Seenyor uses radar only and records no images or video.
It depends on the system. Many monitored alarms charge a monthly fee. Seenyor is a one-off price per device, and its 24/7 monitoring plan is optional and separate, agreed after installation.
Sometimes. The AT-HM List under Support at Home includes personal and environmental emergency alarm systems, and NDIS participants with self-managed or plan-managed funding can usually buy from us and claim it. An assessment usually decides.
Official pages we used, checked on 8 October 2026. Rules change, so the source is always the final word.
Book a demonstration and we will show you what Seenyor does, what it does not do and whether it suits the person and the home.
