Falls are not inevitable. That was the clear message from The Fall We Can Stop: How a Mobility-First Approach Is Changing the Game webinar hosted by OneStep’s Chief Commercial Officer and physical therapist, Pat Tarnowski, in conversation with Jim Closs, Chief Experience Officer at CareFall on September 23.

Together, they unpacked why a mobility-first mindset is critical for preventing falls, and how the combination of OneStep’s gait technology and CareFall’s comprehensive assessment suite is creating powerful momentum in both the U.S. and Canada.

Let’s break down the biggest insights from the session.

Mobility is a Vital Sign

"One in four older adults will fall this year." You’ve probably heard that stat before. But what’s rarely discussed is why we still treat fall prevention as a nice-to-have, instead of a clinical priority.

“Falls affect everyone from residents, families, providers, payers. But the good news? They’re not inevitable.” - Pat Tarnowski, Chief Commercial Officer, OneStep

The key is mobility. Gait, the way a person walks, isn’t just a reflection of physical strength. It’s a vital sign. One that reveals risk, progression, and response to treatment often before other symptoms show up.

In the past, measuring gait meant bringing someone into a lab, wiring them up, and hoping for the best. Today? You drop a smartphone in their pocket, and in 20 steps, you’ve got a validated fall risk score.

That’s the OneStep model. Simple, scalable, and clinically sound.

Falls Are Universal. So Is the Opportunity.

Across borders, systems, and models of care, the story is the same.

“The concept of predicting and reducing risk of falls is a universal topic,” Jim Closs, Chief Experience Officer, CareFall

CareFall’s model combines OneStep’s gait data with additional neurological and strength testing to offer a 360-degree view of fall risk. By bundling assessments that used to live in different silos, they’ve created a tool that providers can actually use, without burning out their staff or disrupting their workflows.

(Click here to watch the complete webinar recording.)

What a Mobility-First Workflow Looks Like

So what does this look like in practice?

• Assessment: In under 20 minutes, CareFall teams can conduct a full assessment, including OneStep gait data, strength testing, depth perception, and cognitive screening.
• Flexibility: The program can run as a full-service deployment or a hybrid model with staff training.
• No staff strain: With non-clinicians able to conduct measurements, licensed staff can focus on care planning, not stopwatch timing.

And for patients with smartphones? OneStep passively monitors real-world mobility, delivering continuous insight from natural movement, not just clinic snapshots.

Real Data. Real Decisions. Real Impact.

The impact is already showing.

• OneStep deployments are seeing 23–30% fewer falls across senior living and health system partners.
• A recent CareFall pilot showed 17% decline in walking scores in just 6 months because follow-up care wasn’t provided. “It was a painful result,” Jim admitted. “But it proved the power of the data. We could see the decline. That’s actionable.”

The system is built to be preventative, not reactive. And that makes a financial difference, too.

• Providers are using OneStep for defensible documentation, better discharge planning, and stronger ROI, especially in senior living environments where occupancy and acuity are closely linked to revenue.
• And with simple licensing models and seamless integration, systems no longer need to choose between cost and quality.

A Testimonial That Says It All

Pat summed it up perfectly:

“We know falls affect our residents, our families, the providers, and the payers alike […] but they’re not inevitable. If we can shift our focus to mobility and treating mobility as an important vital sign, and monitoring this vital sign proactively, we can take meaningful steps towards reducing falls and improving outcomes and helping more residents stay safely in their home longer.”

Every Step Tells a Story. This One Tells Us: It’s Time.

We now have the tools to predict, prevent, and proactively manage fall risk—before a life is disrupted, before a hospital visit, before it’s too late.

CareFall and OneStep aren’t just changing workflows. They’re changing outcomes. And the momentum is building.

“Once the first healthcare domino falls, people will stop falling.” - Jim Closs, Chief Experience Officer, CareFall

We’re ready to help make that happen.

Want to learn more?

Visit onestep.co for a deeper look into the technology transforming fall prevention.

For more information on the CareFall model and what they are doing for the future of fall prevention, click here.