The broader impact/commerical potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be a potentially significant reduction in medication-related falls, injuries, and deaths, as well as a reduction in fall-related medical costs. The number of older adults dying from falls increased by a factor of three between 2000 and 2016, with increased medication use possibly contributing to this alarming trend. Polypharmacy (i.e., taking 4 or more drugs) is growing with a 3-fold increase from 1992 to 2002. Since drugs are a modifiable risk factor, periodic medication reviews are recommended for fall prevention. This project will explore a new balance test involving target tracking to remotely monitor medication fall risk and allowing for timelier, personalized assessment of the risk of getting hurt.The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will advance a new balance test using target tracking. Technical work includes: 1) Confirm that the new test is sensitive to medication effects and is safe to perform; 2) Discriminate between fallers and non-fallers, thus demonstrating test validity; and 3) Compare test results with those of other tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
