Hacking 4 Defense Smart Home Solutions for Post Traumatic Brain Injured Veterans (#52) Background In the US Military, the rigors of training and dangers of combat yield thousands of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) every year. The long-term physical and psychological consequences of TBI are now regarded as a major medical challenge, affecting the health of military personnel, veteran’s, and civilians alike. TBI can result in initial declines in cognitive, affective, and behavioral functioning. Beyond initial medical rehabilitation, the link between TBI and long term risk for further cognitive decline later in life has been established in the medical literature. With a commitment to provide care across the lifespan, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System’s Polytrauma System of Care is seeking to develop and understand an array of advanced technological solutions that can maximize and sustain functional independence, community reintegration, quality-of-life, and long-term aging in place. Challenge Design an unobtrusive, reliable, secure, and ethical "Smart Home" system to remotely detect changes in patient behavior suggestive of cognitive decline; cue a patient to engage in various targeted health behaviors; and alert clinical staff when a patient's ability to safely complete activities of daily living is compromised. Boundaries Stakeholders will include Veterans, families/caregivers, and clinical staff. Environments will include hospital locations as well as community locations including patient's homes. Solutions must adhere to all privacy and medical ethics standards. Information technologies will need to securely interface with the existing patient record system and any associated healthcare informatics platforms. Any solution proposed must account for, and evaluate, the possible impact the solution has on medical decision-making, clinical workflows, as well as the psychological and social interactions between patients, family members, and medical providers. Problem Sponsor - Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Polytrauma System of Care From: http://hacking4defense.stanford.edu/dodic-problems.html