The pandemic declared by the World Health Organization due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) awakened us to a reality that most of us were previously unaware of—isolation, confinement and the massive use of information and communication technologies, as well as increased knowledge of the difficulties and limitations of their use. This article focuses on the rapid implementation of low-cost technologies, which allow us to answer a fundamental question: how can near real-time monitoring and follow-up of the elderly and their health conditions, as well as their homes, especially for those living in isolated and remote areas, be provided within their care and protect them from risky events? The system proposed here as a proof of concept uses low-cost devices for communication and data processing, supported by Long-Range (LoRa) technology and connection to The Things Network, incorporating various sensors, both personal and in the residence, allowing family members, neighbors and authorized entities, including security forces, to have access to the health condition of system users and the habitability of their homes, as well as their urgent needs, thus evidencing that it is possible, using low-cost systems, to implement sensor networks for monitoring the elderly using the LoRa gateway and other support infrastructures.

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Introdução Relatos de vivências de exclusão académica apresentam-se como desafios às instituições de ensino superior (IES) na sua capacidade de desenvolverem, mas também de aplicarem políticas promotoras de interculturalidade; Objetivos Conhecer as práticas institucionais interpretadas como barreiras à inclusão e desafios à interculturalidade; e desocultar os sentimentos vividos pela comunidade académica em contextos experienciados que considerem de exclusão; Métodos Estudo qualitativo, fenomenológico-hermenêutico com recurso à entrevista fenomenológica a trinta membros da comunidade académica (estudantes, docentes e não docentes) de uma IES de Portugal, de abril a julho de 2019, com suporte a análise qualitativa de dados apoiada pelo Nvivo12. Este trabalho insere-se num projeto mais alargado intitulado "Práticas inclusivas no Ensino Superior: O desafio de construir comunidade", autorizado pela Comissão de Ética da Instituição envolvida; Resultados Apresentam-se as categorias "Barreiras à inclusão na instituição" e "Sentimentos vivenciados em experiências de exclusão". As barreiras à inclusão na instituição mais referenciadas foram barreiras arquitetónicas e desunião hierárquica na instituição. No que concerne aos sentimentos vivenciados em experiências de exclusão, os participantes referenciaram essencialmente o sentir-se desvalorizado, a solidão e a tristeza; Conclusões. As barreiras arquitetónicas da instituição, o sentir-se desvalorizado, a solidão e a tristeza são os principais desafios institucionais à inclusão e interculturalidade.

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Actually, the development of increasingly powerful systems and information technologies capable of monitoring in real time the vital signs and the location of people are providing significant changes in the functions that Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS) have in society, from simple treatment of disabling diseases and palliative care, to prevention and monitoring of users, promoting their mobility, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of institutionalized people. The main objective of the system presented here is to monitor the elderly or with problems within institutions through the acquisition and treatment of data and information related to their location and health status, in a discrete and non-intrusive way, through information and communication. So, that both the institution and the family members can monitor in real time the status of the users they have under their responsibility. Considering that the systems focused on the monitoring and data management of people are in great evolution, that pervasive and ubiquitous computing is present in our daily life, with the present work we hope to contribute positively to the improvement of the quality of life of the users of the social solidarity institutions, especially in the senior population, with special attention to people suffering from psychological pathologies such as Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. The system utilizes low-cost communication and data processing facilities that couple heart rate sensors among others, allowing the system operator to access user information at any time. Being a low-cost system, social solidarity institution can easily implement your custom solution for new social responses.