Monitoring movements to ensure wellbeing

OCAV has joined forces with Monash University to take part in the trialling of a non-intrusive monitoring and wellbeing system that ultimately will assist our residents, particularly those with dementia, to remain independent and continue to live in their village.

The monitoring devices are housed in boxes the shape of a small book and plugged into power points in commonly used areas of the house. The sensors in the device detect motion, vibration, light and temperature, amongst other things.

The device collects data about the normal patterns of behaviour of a person over time. After the resident’s usual behaviour pattern is known, it is able to send alerts to the nursing, support staff and next of kin when a resident has been inactive for abnormally long periods of time.

Currently OCAV relies on passing staff members to discover residents after they have experienced an incidence. The value of the sensors is that the movements can be detected without affecting a patient’s privacy, allowing staff to monitor movement and potentially dangerous situations.

The system has been designed with privacy and ease-of-use in mind, as it doesn’t require cameras to be installed, or the user to keep a wearable device on their person, in keeping with concerns raised in early surveys with seniors.

The research team has begun work on a series of prototype devices, which will be trialed in 2017.

Caption: Professor Ingrid Zuckerman - Monash University, Dr Masud Moshtaghi - University of Melbourne, Ms Annette Greenwood - Vasey RSL Care and Phillip Wohlers.