No abstract

The increasing number of elderly and infirm people living alone in their own homes is creating the need for new personal emergency response systems based on public telephone and cable networks. While existing systems enable clients to summon help in the event of illness, future services are likely to make use of evolving technologies to provide automatic sensing of emergencies and to predict long-term deterioration in health, using activity profiles. The characteristics and requirements of these second-generation systems are discussed and predictions are made about the innovative services and facilities that may be available in third-generation systems, when broadband communication is available to the home.

The increasing number of elderly and infirm people living alone in their own homes is creating the need for new personal emergency response systems based on public telephone and cable networks. While existing systems enable clients to summon help in the event of illness, future services are likely to make use of evolving technologies to provide automatic sensing of emergencies and to predict long-term deterioration in health, using activity profiles. The characteristics and requirements of these second-generation systems are discussed and predictions are made about the innovative services and facilities that may be available in third-generation systems, when broadband communication is available to the home.

No abstract

Sensors have been developed to measure the relevant parameters that are associated with falls of the elderly living in the community; these include mobility, transfer rate, weight and impact history. The sensor outputs are fed into a computer system together with other bio-medical factors such as age, sex, eye-sight and medication. A predictive algorithm is described which determines the likelihood of a fall; this predictive system may form the basis of a practical telecare method to enable early intervention and reduce the number of falls.