Considering the challenges and benefits inherent to the Internet of Things for the elderly, the use of wearable devices to monitor health parameters, especially the risk of falls, could promote optimal conditions or prevent the deterioration of health conditions in aging. The use of these devices in the mapping of movement and gestures, loss of balance, postural changes, movement speed or loss by period of time, in daily tasks, in one or more movement axes, may determine gait parameters. In monitoring health conditions and the environment, in identifying the risk of falling when traveling across different terrains, slopes of roads, ramps, steps of different heights and dimensions, it may trigger a potential alert capable of promoting the perception of obstacles or barriers, minimizing the impact of coping with them and avoiding a fall, given the physical condition of the elderly person, in relation to the adversity of the environment.

Know the new technologies, wearable and non-wearable sensors, for detection and prevention of falls in the elderly.

A systematic mapping of the literature was carried out in the Virtual Health Library (VHL), Web of Science, Pubmed, Embase and Medline databases in March 2023.

New technologies, wearable sensors and connected applications, in promoting the lives of the elderly, providing support for daily activities, is in increasing evolution. The technologies for detecting falls stand out, an important marker of the functional decline of the elderly, associated with sensory, neuromuscular or osteoarticular deficiencies. Different types of sensors and monitoring and alarm systems have been developed and can be used to alert caregivers. Sensors are electronic devices that allow transforming nature from an observed physical value into an exploitable digital value. The devices to activate an alarm are based on the monitoring of motor activity through one or several sensors, basic elements of data acquisition systems, informing the position of permanence of the elderly person after a fall. There is a diversity of sensors related to the collection of data on the physiological state, such as temperature, heart and respiratory rate, blood pressure; and movement measurement, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers. Also, geolocation and environmental measurement (audio and video). For fall detection, wearable sensors are more effective because they can identify changes in acceleration, planes of movement or impact, not being limited to a restricted area of ​​movement of the elderly. These sensors can be located in shoes, insoles and on the wrist, registering movement; in belt, refer to attitude and direction; on a keychain or pendant with an alarm button, they alert an emergency; all connected to the app via smartphone.

Regarding sensors intended for the prevention or detection of falls, wearable and non-wearable sensors stand out, all with good results when tested in actions of daily life.

The technological variety intended to support the elderly, particularly in the prevention of falls, is promising. Challenges for adoption at scale seem to be the obstacle to important results in a real-life context.