Falling is a significant health risk for many Americans, particularly older adults. Jeannette R. Mahoney, PhD, a Professor of Neurology at Stony Brook University, has developed an app called "CatchU" to address this issue. The app quantitatively assesses the risk of falling using multisensory digital technology.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 30% of Americans over 65 experience falls annually, with over three million requiring emergency room visits due to fall-related injuries. CatchU aims to provide a more objective assessment than current methods that rely heavily on self-reports.
Mahoney's app was selected as one of 21 finalists in the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) 2025 Start-Up Challenge from nearly 300 competitors nationwide. The NIA recognized the potential impact of CatchU in addressing fall risks and its implications for aging populations facing increased risks of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
The idea for CatchU emerged when Dr. Claudene George suggested making a smartphone test available after considering clinical findings linking impaired multisensory integration to poor motor outcomes. Mahoney developed the app through her start-up company, JET Worldwide Enterprises Inc., which holds an exclusive license to patent-pending intellectual property from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
CatchU is described as a "multisensory digital health app that quantitatively assesses risk for falls and preclinical Alzheimer’s disease." Mahoney explains, “Essentially, we have a 10-minute digital health app that monitors simple reaction time as a person is asked to respond as quickly as possible to targets that one can either see, feel, or see and feel at the same time.”
Mahoney's research highlights how differential abilities in sensory integration can indicate higher fall risks and worse gait and balance among older adults. Her work has been published in several scientific journals such as the Journal of Gerontology and Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
As part of the NIA challenge, Mahoney will explore CatchU's ability to detect preclinical Alzheimer’s disease based on recent findings published in Alzheimer's & Dementia linking poor sensory integration with amyloid-beta pathology.
Finalists like Mahoney will receive entrepreneurial training sessions, mentorship opportunities, conference attendance sponsorships, and cash prizes. Each Stage 1 finalist receives $10,000 for their company while seven semi-finalists will compete for a top prize of $65,000 in early 2026.
Mahoney dedicates her work on CatchU to her grandmother Jean Sisinni who fell before passing away in 2021.