Tracking and Monitoring Technologies for Elder Care

TEMA (Tracking Emergency Medical Alert System) is a remote, untethered system providing technological aids to improve self-care, health monitoring and injury reduction to maintain theindependence of older people. Recently available high speed signal processing integrated circuits makepossible small personal communication devices providing a vital link both indoors and outdoors. Twosystems provide hand untethered communications as well as tracking and position location. The firstsystem, PTMS (Position Tracking and Messaging System), is a satellite communications system basedon a satellite network being launched in l993. PTMS will provide outdoor tracking, personal location,plus two-way messaging service to users of small portable hand-held terminals. PLMS (PersonnelMonitoring and Location System) allows centralized monitoring and tracking of the location and healthstatus of personnel within a building via a network of radio frequency repeater nodes interconnected by a fiber optic communications link. The applications of TEMA will be tailored to specific needs ofsubstantial sectors of the aging population, so that the devices developed will be affordable, user friendlyand commercially viable.