Automatic fall detection is a sensor feature in a pendant or watch that recognizes the motion pattern of a hard fall — the sudden drop, the impact, the stillness after — and calls the monitoring centre for you, even if you can’t press the button. It matters because after a real fall, you can’t always press anything.
How do fall detection sensors work?
The device carries tiny motion sensors — an accelerometer that feels sudden speed changes, and related sensors that read position. Software watches for the signature of a fall: rapid downward motion, an impact, then little or no movement. When it sees that pattern, it starts a call to the 24/7 monitoring centre. The operator speaks to you through the device. If you answer “I’m fine, I sat down hard,” nothing more happens. If you don’t answer, help is sent.
Why can’t you just press the button?
Often you can — and you should, every time you’re able. But a fall can knock you unconscious, pin an arm, or leave you too shaken or hurt to act. Falls are the leading cause of injury among Canadian seniors: the Public Health Agency of Canada reports that 20 to 30 per cent of seniors fall each year (Seniors’ Falls in Canada report). Fall detection exists for the minutes when pressing a button isn’t possible.
Why does the first hour matter so much?
Researchers call it the “long lie” — being unable to get up for an hour or more after a fall. A classic British Medical Journal study of falls at home found that long lies were linked to serious complications and worse outcomes, even when the fall itself caused no major injury (Wild, Nayak & Isaacs, BMJ, 1981). Getting help quickly is most of what a medical alert system is for. We wrote a plain-language guide on this: The “Long Lie”: why the hour after a fall matters most.
The honest part: what fall detection can’t do
No fall sensor is perfect, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling too hard. Two things are true of every fall-detection device on the market:
- It can miss real falls. A slow slide down a wall or a soft collapse into a chair may not look like a fall to the sensors.
- It can raise false alarms. Dropping the pendant on a counter or sitting down hard can trigger a call. That’s fine — tell the operator you’re okay and carry on. Never take the device off to avoid false alarms.
So the rule we give every customer: fall detection is the backup, the button is the plan. Press it whenever you can. Let the sensors cover the moments you can’t.
Which SeniorSentry devices include fall detection?
The on-the-go pendant ($54.99/month CAD) and the smartwatch ($59.99/month CAD) include it. For the at-home system, add a fall-detection wearable for $9.99/month CAD. Prices checked 17-Jul-2026 — details on the pricing page.
Fall detection questions, answered
Does fall detection work in the shower?
Yes. The pendant and watch are IP67 water resistant and are meant to be worn in the shower — one of the most common places seniors fall. The at-home fall-detection wearable is shower-safe too.
What happens after a false alarm?
The operator opens the call, you say you’re fine, and that’s the end of it. There’s no charge and no penalty for false alarms. We’d rather check ten times than miss once.
Can I get fall detection without the monthly monitoring?
Not from us. Detection without a human response is just a noise — the value is the trained operator who answers, knows your file and sends the right help. That service is what the monthly fee pays for.
Do I still need the button if I have fall detection?
Yes. Sensors catch many falls, not all of them — and emergencies aren’t only falls. Chest pain, dizziness, a stranger at the door at 2 a.m.: the button covers everything, instantly.
Last updated 17-Jul-2026. Sources: Public Health Agency of Canada; Wild, Nayak & Isaacs (BMJ 1981); seniorprotection.ca device specifications.