Non-Intrusive Monitoring of High Functioning Elderly

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Technology developments aimed at extending the ability of the elderly to live independently often target those people with a disability, chronic condition, or other known reason requiring help with their care. A critical gap in current research, specifically addressed by this STTR program, is assistance technology for the population of persons over 65 years of age who are high-functioning and generally healthy, but are growing increasingly frail as they age and susceptible to an accident or illness becoming a disabling medical incident and eliminating their ability to live independently. Those living alone are at the most risk because their illness or injury may go unnoticed for a considerable length of time, turning a minor incident into a serious one. While this population could benefit from monitoring, its members are likely to be intolerant of intrusive monitoring because there is no clear medical need for it and the costs of a "just-in-case" home monitoring systems often outweigh the perceived benefits. To address these issues, this research observes that, in many cases, a concerned neighbor is often the first person to notice a problem simply by observing, in a non-intrusive manner, a large variation in a person's routine (e.g., lights not on when they should be) and taking appropriate action. The Phase II effort is focused on the design and development of a low-cost, non-intrusive home monitoring system can provide actionable information on the welfare of a home's occupant, i.e., an 'Electronic Concerned Neighbor'. Phase I research has confirmed the technical and marketing feasibility for developing the Electronic Concerned Neighbor system.