Gait Speed Measurement for Elderly Patients with Risk of Frailty

Abstract

e ageing of the population poses a threat to both public and private health and social systems. In the last 50 years, life expectancy has increased by an average of 20 years, and by the year 2050, life expectancy will exceed 90 years of age. However, quality of life in the last years of life is not guaranteed due to conditions such as functional decline and frailty, ultimately progressing to disability. us, the detection of such a condition in time is of utmost importance. is paper presents an ultrasonic sensor-based gait speed measurement device controlled via a mobile interface, which permits patients to self-assess physical performance. e system was developed and validated in an iterative process involving a total of 28 subjects (21 in the rst round and 7 in the second one). After rst evaluation at Hospital Universitario de Getafe, some technical problems arose whereas usability testing was well evaluated. e second version addressing the identi ed issues was technically validated at university premises with good and promising results. Future work envisages deployment of the system developed at subjects' homes to be remotely and unobtrusively monitored.

Unobtrusive Sensors for the Assessment of Older Adult’s Frailty: A Scoping Review

“…These groups of studies show a strong imbalance in favor of studies on activity patterns with the rest of the phenomena having a marginal presence. Even though studies on STS transitions and gait patterns are the most numerous, most of them do not monitor transparent activities: 14 out of 25 STS studies [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ] and 17 out of 21 gait studies [ 57 , 58 , 63 , 64 , 70 , 72 , 73 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ] rely on non-transparent activities.…”

“…The five repetitions chair-stand test (STS5) [ 57 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ] and the 30-s CST [ 58 , 61 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ] in STS studies; the 3 m Walking Test (3-mWT), 4-mWT, 6-minWT, etc. in gait studies [ 57 , 58 , 63 , 64 , 70 , 72 , 73 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ]; the TUG test in up-and-go studies [ 59 , 62 , 64 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 ]; the SPPB balance test [ 57 , 64 ], quiet standing test [ 63 ], one-foot eyes-closed [ 58 , 70 ] Romberg’s test [ 104 , 105 ], or two-feet eyes-closed [ 86 ] in balance studies; a weight scale in weight studies [ 58 , 70 , 77 ]; the SF-36 and mini-GDS [ …”

“…Ubiquitous ambient sensors embedded in different pieces of furniture or daily objects include load sensors in a chair [ 57 , 58 , 62 , 64 , 70 ], distance sensors in a chair (either laser-based [ 57 , 62 ] or ultrasound-based [ 67 ]), a Doppler sensor in an ornament [ 77 ], a bathroom scale [ 77 ], pressure sensors in a grip ball [ 77 ], pressure sensors on the tip of a cane [ 83 ], and a mobile app in a tablet [ 77 ]. On the other hand, ubiquitous ambient sensors on the walls, the ceiling, or the floor include laser-based distance sensors [ 57 ], Bluetooth beacons for localization [ 106 , 107 ], a Kinect ® sensor [ 93 , 99 , 101 ], passive infra-red sensors as presence detectors [ 76 , 108 ], light barriers [ 64 ], ultrasound sensors [ 81 , 85 ] as binary triggers, and load and pressure sensors [ 57 , 58 , 70 ]).…”

Untitled

“…Other sensor-based approaches detect the movements of lower limbs by means of radar [35,36], laser scanner [37,38] or ultrasonic sensors [39,40].…”

Assessing the Mobility of Elderly People in Domestic Smart Home Environments

“…Motion sensors can, for example, are mounted on the ceiling of a frequently used passageway and determine the walking speed of a person [28]. Further approaches analyse the transition times between the coverage areas of different sensors [29][30][31] Other sensor-based approaches detect the movements of lower limbs by means of radar [32,33], laser scanner [34,35] or ultrasonic sensors [36,37].…”