This article describes the design and implementation of a health monitoring and evaluation system based upon wireless technologies. The system provides a complete, end-to-end and scalable solution for a wide range of applications ranging from remote healthcare monitoring of elderly people living alone to health management for all the residents in an aged-care facility under a limited number of staff. The major benefits of such a system include its pervasive and unobtrusive nature, an elevated objectivity level and hence quality in health assessment and a significant reduction in service provision cost. The system architecture encompasses the abilities to collect multiple types of data from both static and mobile sensors, transfer such data over either a homogeneous or hybrid wireless network to a central server, and perform data fusion to extract vital information about the health status of the person being monitored.

With the increasing shift in the population profile to the older demographic and rising healthcare costs, it is more critical for developed countries to deliver long-term and financially sustainable healthcare services, especially in the area of residential aged care. A consensus exists that innovations in the area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are key enabling technologies for reaching this goal. The major focus of this article is WSN design considerations for ubiquitous wellness monitoring systems in residential aged care facilities. Major enabling technologies for building a pervasive WSN will be detailed, including descriptions on sensor design, wireless communication protocols and network topologies. Also examined are data processing methods and knowledge management tools to support the collection of sensor data and their subsequent analysis for health assessment. To introduce future healthcare reform in residential aged care, two aspects of wellness monitoring, vital signs and activities of daily living (ADL) monitoring, will be discussed.

It is becoming more critical for developed countries to deliver long-term and financially sustainable healthcare services to an expanding ageing population, especially in the area of residential aged care. There is a general consensus that innovations in the area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are key enabling technologies for reaching this goal. The major focus of this chapter is on WSN design considerations for ubiquitous wellness monitoring systems in residential aged care facilities. The major enabling technologies for building a pervasive WSN will be explored, including details on sensor design, wireless communication protocols and network topologies. Also examined are various data processing methods and knowledge management tools to support the collection of sensor data and their subsequent analysis for health assessment. Future systems that incorporate the two aspects of wellness monitoring, vital signs and activities of daily living (ADL) monitoring, will also be introduced.

No abstract

With the increasing shift in the population profile to the older demographic and rising healthcare costs, it is more critical for developed countries to deliver long-term and financially sustainable healthcare services, especially in the area of residential aged care. A consensus exists that innovations in the area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are key enabling technologies for reaching this goal. The major focus of this article is WSN design considerations for ubiquitous wellness monitoring systems in residential aged care facilities. Major enabling technologies for building a pervasive WSN will be detailed, including descriptions on sensor design, wireless communication protocols and network topologies. Also examined are data processing methods and knowledge management tools to support the collection of sensor data and their subsequent analysis for health assessment. To introduce future healthcare reform in residential aged care, two aspects of wellness monitoring, vital signs and activities of daily living (ADL) monitoring, will be discussed.