Now, keep up to date
with daily feeds of newly posted stories
about America's Seniors...click on the box
to the left
Health-Monitoring Technology helps Seniors
live at home longer
Jan. 7, 2009--COLUMBIA, Mo. - Many older
adults want to remain active and independent
for as long as possible. Seniors want to age
in their own homes and avoid moving to
institutions or nursing homes. University of
Missouri researchers are using sensors,
computers and communication systems, along
with supportive health care services to
monitor the health of older adults who are
living at home.
According to the researchers, motion sensor
networks installed in seniors’ homes can
detect changes in behavior and physical
activity, including walking and sleeping
patterns.
Early identification of these changes can
prompt health care interventions that can
delay or prevent serious health events.
As part of the "aging in place" research at
MU, integrated sensor networks were
installed in apartments of residents at
TigerPlace, a retirement community that
helps senior residents stay healthy and
active to avoid hospitalization and
relocation.
MU researchers collected data from motion
and bed sensors that continuously logged
information for more than two years.
The researchers identified patterns in the
sensor data that can provide clues to
predict adverse health events, including
falls, emergency room visits and
hospitalizations.
"The ‘aging in place’ concept allows older
adults to remain in the environment of their
choice and receive supportive health
services as needed. With this type of care,
most people wouldn’t need to relocate to a
nursing home," said Marilyn Rantz, professor
in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing.
"Monitoring sensor patterns is an effective
and discreet way to ensure the health and
privacy of older adults."
In recent evaluations, the sensor networks
detected changes in residents’ conditions
that were not recognized by traditional
health care assessments.
MU researchers are perfecting the technology
infrastructure at TigerPlace as a model, so
these technologies and supportive health
care services can be made available to
seniors throughout the country.
"Our goal is to generate automatic alerts
that notify caregivers of changes in
residents’ conditions that would allow them
to intervene and prevent adverse health
events," Rantz said.
"Additional
work is underway to establish these health
alerts, improve the reliability and accuracy
of the sensor network, implement a video
sensor network, and refine a Web-based
interface to make it even more user friendly
and meaningful to health care providers."
Tiger II, a 22-unit addition to TigerPlace,
opened on Jan. 1. TigerPlace community
residents receive health and wellness
services through TigerCare, a service of the
Sinclair School of Nursing. Residents
receive care and services when they need
them and where they want them - in the
privacy of their apartments.
Through its university affiliation,
residents can participate in a number of
educational, cultural and research projects
both on site and on campus that are
conducted by the College of Engineering,
School of Nursing, Health Professions, and
Medicine at MU.
The study, "Using Technology to Enhance
Aging in Place," was presented at the 2008
International Conference on Smart homes and
health Telematics.
It was funded by a grant from the U.S.
Administration on Aging and the National
Science Foundation ITR grant.
... ..
...
...