Sensors Monitor Older People at Home
From: CNN - 11/19/2010
By: John D. Sutter 

Sensor networks are being increasingly used in the homes of older adults. The
systems collect data about a person's daily habits and condition and transmit
the information to doctors and family members. "It's a wonderful system for
helping older people to stay independent as long as possible," says Charlton
Hall Jr., who uses the system in his home. Hall's system features motion
sensors in every room and on every exterior door. There also is a sensor
beneath Hall's mattress pad that informs doctors about his sleeping habits.
The monitored-all-the-time lifestyle will become routine for older adults in
the United States within five years, and will be common for everyone soon
after that, says Oregon Center for Aging & Technology director Jeff Kaye. The
Oregon lab has conducted research indicating that sensor systems will enable
doctors to detect early signs of Alzheimer's, dementia, and a person's
susceptibility to falls. However, Kaye says the researchers are still
determining how to integrate the various technologies to be most effective.
He also says that more things need to be monitored to increase the value of
the information provided. "The temperature you sleep at, the particulate
matter in the air, the ambient light your body experiences ... drastically
can change your physiology, and we are barely aware of it," Kaye says. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/11/19/sensors.aging/

Links:
Oregon Center for Aging & Technology
http://www.orcatech.org/

Jeff Kaye
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/providers/kaye.cfm

Remote Controlled Tele-Presence in Seniors’ Homes: A Study of Feasibility and
  Acceptance 
http://www.orcatech.org/research/studies/remote-controlled-tele-presence-in-seniors-homes-a-study-of-feasibility-and-acceptance

Home Monitoring Bibliography
http://www.orcatech.org/resources/home-monitoring