Feasibility Study of the Integrated Circuit Tag Monitoring System for Dementia Residents in Japan

Abstract

Videotaping, direct observation, and biomechanical devices have been used to measure the wandering behavior of institutionalized people with dementia and to identify patterns of movement. Owing to technical limitations, the variability in movement patterns or the distance traveled could not be examined. The present study examined the feasibility of an integrated circuit tag monitoring system to monitor the movement patterns of Japanese dementia residents. This system generated the following data: the frequency of detection by each receiver, the duration of stay in each location, the cumulative distance walked per day, and the graphic display of the movement pattern. This new system offers objective measurements of ambulation in time and space, which can be used to characterize demented patients and to evaluate the effects of treatment and care.

Feasibility study of a real-time wandering detection algorithm for dementia patients

“…The other three patterns (random, lapping, and pacing) are inefficient and seen to constitute different types of wandering. However, Martino-Saltzman model provides only a cross-sectional view of wandering behaviors [3], i.e. movements from one position to another position.…”

“…More importantly, the system should be able to detect wandering behavior as soon as it occurs in order to ensure the safety and well-being of wanderers and also reduce the care burden on caregivers. Currently, two popular methods are used to examine wanderers' movement behaviors: direct observation and using wearable biomechanical devices [3].…”

“…Therefore, computerizing this theoretical model will help reduce the time costs of direct observation and remove the tedious patterns coding process on one hand, and facilitate monitoring a large number of study participants over extended periods of time on the other hand. Such a working algorithm combined with an integrated circuit tag movement sensor [3] implemented on a mobile device will provide an inexpensive, non-intrusive, ubiquitous monitoring system beneficial for dementia care and nursing. This paper is structured as follows.…”

Attempts to differentiate the patterns of temporal movements in Alzheimer's disease patients from vascular dementia patients by the integrated circuit tag monitoring system

“…We study assessed and compared the patterns of temporal movement between a patient with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and one with vascular dementia (VaD) using the integrated circuit (IC) tag monitoring system. 1 The monitoring was conducted in the 60-bed, semi-acute dementia care unit in Asakayama Hospital, Japan, between November 2006 and March 2007. Patients were diagnosed with dementia and could ambulate without difficulty.…”

A multi-robot system for unconfined video-conferencing

“…When used as a data collection tool, such a system can help the healthcare industry. For instance, health hazards can be prevented by monitoring the deterioration of ambulatory patterns in patients with dementia [19][20][21].…”