A Health Monitoring System for Elderly People Living Alone

We have developed a health monitoring system for elderly people living alone. We monitored the in-house movements of eight subjects (average age 81 years) by placing infrared sensors in each room of their homes. Because their movements were unrestricted, monitoring could last longer than other forms...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of telemedicine and telecare 2002-06, Vol.8 (3), p.151-156
Main Authors: Ohta, Shigeru, Nakamoto, Hiroshi, Shinagawa, Yoshimitsu, Tanikawa, Tomohiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Environment Design
Female
Health Services for the Aged - standards
Home Care Services - standards
Humans
Male
Monitoring, Ambulatory - methods
Movement
Telemetry - methods
Telemetry - standards
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Summary:We have developed a health monitoring system for elderly people living alone. We monitored the in-house movements of eight subjects (average age 81 years) by placing infrared sensors in each room of their homes. Because their movements were unrestricted, monitoring could last longer than other forms of monitoring. Continuous monitoring was performed for 80 months in total. We found that each subject had a specific pattern of movements. We estimated their health condition by comparing the duration of stays in specific rooms, such as the lavatory, with previously recorded data. If after analysis an unusual state was detected, we informed the family of the incident. Final decisions should be made by the family members, not automatically by computer software. For example, after contacting the subject or a neighbour by telephone, family members could call for an ambulance or arrange a visit by a doctor or home help. Thus, this system reduced anxiety for both the elderly subjects living alone and their family members.
ISSN:1357-633X
1758-1109
DOI:10.1177/1357633X0200800305