With the increase in need for adequate and dynamic healthcare, we aimed to create a system that would monitor any health changes occurring in the elderly through remote sensors embedded under their mattress. Any changes could then be received by responders, so they make take appropriate action.
An embedded system was designed, developed, and tested for the MU hydraulic bed sensor, which captures ballistocardiogram (heart) and respiration signals as well as restlessness in the bed, while positioned under the mattress. Sensor systems were deployed in assisted living apartments in Cedar Falls, IA (Western Home Communities) with the hydraulic bed sensor, PIR motion sensors, and the Microsoft Kinect for capturing in-home gait. The facility was a 100 year old building. We were able to show that it is possible to retrofit old construction with sensor technology in a way that is aesthetically pleasingHealth change alerts were generated automatically and sent to the clinical staff. We also investigated the use of video conferencing for nurse care coordination.
Acknowledgments: Funded in part by the NSF US Ignite initiative.
Team Information: University of Missouri, Marjorie Skubic, Marilyn Rantz, and the Eldertech team
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