Why traditional safety alarms are not enough outdoors

Traditional safety alarms are often limited to indoor use and lack features to manage outdoor risks, increasing danger in case of falls or disorientation [1].

Safety alarms – important but limited

Safety alarms have long been a key part of elderly care and contribute to increased safety in the home. They allow users to quickly call for help when needed.

However, many traditional solutions were designed for a time when care was primarily home-based. Today, as more older adults remain active and spend time outside, new needs arise that these systems often cannot meet.

The main limitation – range

Traditional safety alarms are typically connected to a base unit in the home and only function within a limited range.

This means:

The alarm stops working outside the home
No contact can be made during outdoor incidents
The user is left without protection for large parts of the day

For individuals who spend time outdoors, this creates a significant safety gap.

What happens in case of a fall outdoors?

When a fall occurs outside, the consequences can be serious—especially if the person cannot call for help.

Risks include:

Long periods before assistance arrives
Increased risk of complications
Difficulty locating the individual

In these situations, response time is critical, and the lack of a functioning alarm can have major consequences.

A growing challenge for municipalities

More older adults are living independently for longer and maintaining active lifestyles. At the same time, the number of people with cognitive impairment is increasing, which can lead to wandering or getting lost.

For municipalities, this means:

Increased need for supervision beyond the home
Greater demands on flexibility in care services
Risk of costly interventions when incidents occur

Traditional safety alarms are not designed to meet these needs.

Limited functionality in critical situations

In addition to range limitations, traditional alarms often lack key features:

No GPS positioning
No automatic fall detection
Dependence on the user to manually trigger the alarm

This means that many incidents may go undetected.

Impact on safety and costs

When alarms do not function in all environments, the risk of serious incidents increases.

This can lead to:

Reduced sense of safety for users and families
Longer response times
Increased care and support needs

For municipalities, this results in higher costs and increased pressure on care services.

The need for solutions that work everywhere

To meet today’s needs, solutions must go beyond the home.

Safety should be ensured:

Indoors
Outdoors
While on the move

This requires technology that follows the individual and works regardless of location.

Reducing risks with modern safety alarms

Modern solutions are based on mobile technology and work regardless of location. Features such as GPS positioning and automatic fall detection enable faster response.

This allows for:

Shorter response times
The ability to locate individuals
Increased safety in daily life

For municipalities, this creates better conditions for both preventive and responsive care.

Reduce fall risk and improve safety with automatic safety alarms

Sensorem’s safety alarm is an example of a solution developed to meet the needs of municipal care. The alarm can automatically detect falls and initiate contact through a built-in speakerphone with two-way communication, enabling quick assessment of the situation. The solution is designed for easy implementation within existing operations, without the need for extensive technical adjustments. With built-in GPS positioning, the alarm works both indoors and outdoors, providing better conditions for locating users and responding quickly to incidents. For organizations, this also means improved oversight and control. Through a centralized alarm management system, all devices can be administered and managed remotely, simplifying operations, follow-up, and scaling across multiple users and services.