Maniyeri Jayachandran

An ontology-based context model in monitoring and handling agitation behavior for persons with dementia

This paper presents a new approach that exploits semantic Web standards to provide a reusable middleware support for flexible event representation, query and reasoning, and standardized schemes for automated intervention triggering and activity planning to handle agitation detected in persons with dementia. The proposed context model enables the development of sophisticated systems that facilitates caregiving and clinical assessment of dementia patients in a context enlightened fashion. In particular, we describe the use of the Web ontology language (OWL) to model agitation quantification using scale to assess observed agitation in persons with dementia of the Alzheimer type (SOAPD), intervention and social contexts to build an integrated monitoring and intervention system that exceeds the current state-of-the-art in robustness, intelligence and scalability

Health and wellness monitoring through wearable and ambient sensors: exemplars from home-based care of elderly with mild dementia

Monitoring and timely intervention are extremely important in the continuous management of health and wellness among all segments of the population, but particularly among those with mild dementia. In relation to this, we prescribe three design principles for the construction of services and applications. These are ambient intelligence, service continuity, and micro-context. In this paper, we provide three exemplars from our research and development activities that illustrate the use of these design principles in the construction of services and applications. All the applications are drawn from the field of care for mild dementia patients in their living quarters.

Smart Wireless Continence Management System for Persons with Dementia

Incontinence is highly prevalent in the elderly population, especially in nursing home residents with dementia. It is a distressing and costly health problem that affects not only the patients but also the caregivers. Effective continence management is required to provide quality care, and to eliminate high labor costs and annoyances to the caregivers resulting from episodes of incontinence. This paper presents the design, development, and preliminary deployment of a smart wireless continence management system for dementia-impaired elderly or patients in institutional care settings such as nursing homes and hospitals. Specifically, the mote wireless platform was used to support the deployment of potentially large quantities of wetness sensors with wider coverage and with dramatically less complexity and cost. It consists of an intelligent signal relay mechanism so that the residents are free to move about in the nursing home or hospital and allows personalized continence management service. Preliminary results from a trial in a local nursing home are promising and can significantly improve the quality of care for patients.

Ballistocardiography with fiber optic sensor in headrest position: A feasibility study and a new processing algorithm

Ballistocardiography (BCG) is a promising unobtrusive method for home e-healthcare systems, and has attracted increasing interest in recent years along with technological advances in related biomedical, electrical engineering and computer science fields. While existing systems have investigated the efficacy of BCG setups in bed, backrest, seat or scale positions, we propose to study BCG in headrest position that will allow new practical and portable applications. To this end, we designed and implemented a multi-modality sensing system including a high-sensitivity microbend fiber optic BCG sensor. In this preliminary study, we have collected multi-modality physiological data on 3 human subjects. We ran extensive analysis on BCG in correlation with ECG, and identified special characteristics of the signal in the new BCG setup. The result suggests that new appropriate computing techniques are necessary for accurately recovering the heart beat signal. Therefore, we developed a novel algorithm for heart beat detection. We evaluate the algorithm with the data and demonstrate that it can accurately compute heart rate intervals in the headrest BCG despite significant signal distortion.

Automated Recognition of Complex Agitation Behavior of Dementia Patients Using Video Camera

This paper presents a framework and techniques for recognition and automated rating of complex agitation behavior for patients with dementia using video camera. In particular, we present an approach using hierarchical descriptors for video feature extraction for understanding, modeling and recognizing complex agitation behavior in patients.

Innovative platform for tele-physiotherapy

This paper introduces a novel tele-physiotherapy platform for supporting physiotherapy over the internet beyond the current manual, dedicated and hospital-based physiotherapy sessions. In particular, we explore the design and development of an integrated platform that supports synchronous and asynchronous physiotherapy collaborations between different users, automated rating of physiotherapy exercises, electronic recording for physiotherapy compliance by patients, and provides a three-dimensional (3D) visual output to feedback and motivate the patients to perform the physiotherapy exercises. It is hoped that that the platform will evolve by getting more feedbacks and reviews from all stakeholders such as the patients, physiotherapists, caregivers and medical professionals to improve patientspsila health state so that they can get back to their active lifestyle as soon as possible and to improve their quality of life.

An Extensible System for Sleep Activity Pattern Monitoring

For home based health-care and wellness management the considerations of extensibility and personalization are very important. In this paper we present an architectural framework for health-care and wellness management, and illustrate its use with a sleep activity pattern monitoring application. The key benefits of our architectural framework are that new sensors and sensing modalities as well as other hardware devices may be readily incorporated in an incremental manner. Software modules, such as signal processing algorithms and self-help oriented User Interfaces may be easily added, and the responses can be personalized and customized to suit the needs of patient, caregiver or doctor.

An intelligent elderly healthcare monitoring system using fiber‐based sensors

Abstract It is common to see elderly people requiring round‐the‐clock care from caregivers due to declines in physical and mental abilities. Elderly people who are frail and disabled spend most of their time in bed. In this paper, we present a smart Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) monitoring system in which the FBG sensors are embedded into the bed. The optical sensor system will allow safe long term continuous monitoring of elderly peoples vital signs such as respiration and heart rate, monitoring of posture and movement and bed occupancy status. Use of FBG sensors offers many advantages over conventional electrical sensors, such as being passive, immune to EMI, able to multiplex, etc. But the negative side is the cost of the optical interrogator system. To create a cost‐effective solution for institutions, we try to support multiple beds using a single optical interrogator. This paper presents a multi‐bed monitoring system and the algorithms used for adding intelligence to the system ‐ calculation of pulse, respiration rates, pressure distribution plots and detection of bed occupancy. The system is designed for real deployment and trial in hospitals and the algorithms have been chosen to support an easy deployment.

Sleeping patterns observation for bedsores and bed-side falls prevention

Disabled or cognition impaired elderly may lie in the bed most of their time. It is important to monitor their health conditions and look out for life threatening events in and around the bed continuously. Abrupt unassisted movements may lead to falls whereas the lack of desirable movements may cause bedsores. In order to alleviate these problems, we propose automated means of continuous and unobtrusive sleeping pattern observation through pressure sensing bed. By understanding of subjects’ states from observed pressure evidences, timely intervention and nursing care can be provided to subjects immediately. This enables provision of high quality care to frail and dependent elderly, and also enhances their quality of life in a cost-effective and resource-efficient manner.

Implementation of Context-Aware Distributed Sensor Network System for Managing Incontinence Among Patients with Dementia

Incontinence is highly prevalent in Patients with Dementia (PWD) due to a decline in their physical and mental abilities. Those PWD may lie in soiled diaper for prolonged periods if timely diaper change is not in place. Current manual care practices may not be able to immediately detect soiled diaper, although costly and labor intensive scheduled checks are performed. Delays in diaper change can cause serious social and medical issues. So, timely and effective continence management is important to potentially avoid the undesirable consequences. By developing assistive system leveraging on sensors, wireless sensor network, ambient intelligence and reminders, it is feasible to detect soiled diaper and remind the carers for timely intervention. With around the clock sensing, distributed monitoring and context-aware intervention, timely diaper change is possible anywhere anytime without wasting unnecessary care-giving resources and without causing annoyances to the elderly.