A Study of the Localization Methods to Help Elderly Patients in their Home Environments

Abstract

Patients with various movement hampering illnesses who have been admitted to hospitals are at low risk of being injured as they are under strict observation by hospital staff and electronic systems. However, once these patients move into their homes, it becomes difficult to monitor them and warn them of potential hazards. For example, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of progressive lung diseases that obstruct airflow. It affects millions of adults in the USA alone, with a world estimate of 64 million by the World Health Organization. COPD patients have breathing apparatus attached to their mouth, which is then connected to oxygen tanks via pipes. These individuals run into various problems such as walking too far away from the tank, tripping over the plastic pipes, etc. Most of these patients have limited resources to invest in expensive tracking devices, or to get personalized help at home. To solve some of these problems, one must first be able to reliably locate them and keep track of them at all times. The objective of this work is to propose a comprehensive, multi-sensor platform that can be reliably installed at homes. We explore a variety of low-cost tools and techniques available. This includes satellite tracking of cell phones attached to the patient, ultrasound and laser range finders mounted on walls, iBeacons, etc. We also discuss some of the fancier tools on the horizon, which may soon be available for household applications.