A fall detection and alert system and associated methods are described. The system includes a right footwear item and a left footwear item, each of which includes foot pressure sensors, communications circuitry configured to transmit foot pressure signals from the pressure sensors to a mobile device, such as a smartphone, and a power source. The system also includes an application for the mobile device that causes the mobile device to receive transmitted foot pressure signals from the communications circuitry of the footwear, analyze the foot pressure signals to determine whether a wearer of the footwear items has fallen, display a warning if it is determined that the wearer of the footwear items has fallen, along with an option to cancel the warning, and send a signal to a caregiver if the warning has not been canceled within a predetermined period of time.
