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iCare: A Mobile Health Monitoring System for the Elderly

Ziyu Lv, Feng Xia, Guowei Wu, Lin Yao, Zhikui Chen

arXiv:1011.3852v1cs.OH

TL;DR

Older adults living independently need real-time, remote health support, and iCare is designed to combine body-sensor monitoring with emergency alerts and everyday assistance. The paper presents it as a monitoring system and living assistant, with health-information and medical-guidance functions.

  • Problem

    Older adults living independently face risks such as falls and strokes, motivating a need for real-time, long-term, nonintrusive assisted living and remote healthcare.

    Source: §I · p. 1

  • Method

    iCare uses body sensors and smartphones for tailored health monitoring and emergency alerts, alongside server-based health information, medical guidance, and daily assistance functions.

    Source: §I · p. 1, §III · p. 2, D. Living Assistant · p. 3

  • Results

    The paper presents iCare as combining anytime-anywhere health monitoring and emergency response with personal health information, medical guidance, and living-assistant functions.

    Source: §I · p. 1, §VI · p. 6

  • Takeaways & Limitations

    The authors position iCare as a source of convenient healthcare and everyday support tailored to older adults’ health and living demands.

    Source: §II · p. 2, D. Living Assistant · p. 3

    The system is in its first stage with basic functions implemented; its user interfaces are rough and medical guidance, especially the knowledge database, needs improvement.

    Source: §VI · p. 7

Abstract

from arXiv · show

This paper describes a mobile health monitoring system called iCare for the elderly. We use wireless body sensors and smart phones to monitor the wellbeing of the elderly. It can offer remote monitoring for the elderly anytime anywhere and provide tailored services for each person based on their personal health condition. When detecting an emergency, the smart phone will automatically alert pre-assigned people who could be the old people's family and friends, and call the ambulance of the emergency centre. It also acts as the personal health information system and the medical guidance which offers one communication platform and the medical knowledge database so that the family and friends of the served people can cooperate with doctors to take care of him/her. The system also features some unique functions that cater to the living demands of the elderly, including regular reminder, quick alarm, medical guidance, etc. iCare is not only a real-time health monitoring system for the elderly, but also a living assistant which can make their lives more convenient and comfortable.

I. INTRODUCTION

iCare is proposed to address the need for real-time, long-term, nonintrusive care for older adults living independently. The paper distinguishes it from earlier monitoring systems by pairing remote health monitoring with services for daily living.

I. INTRODUCTION

  • The introduction identifies real-time, long-term, nonintrusive assisted living and remote healthcare as a need for older adults living independently.It highlights risks such as falls and strokes and notes that timely help matters.Source: §I · p. 1
  • Mobile computing and wireless sensor networks are presented as enabling remote acquisition of physiological signals without disrupting normal life.The introduction also points to mobile and distributed computing as making anytime-anywhere services possible.Source: §I · p. 1
  • iCare is proposed as both a remote health-monitoring system and a life assistant, with services tailored to personal health conditions.The system is intended to account for doctors as well as older adults’ family and friends.Source: §I · p. 1, §II · p. 2
  • The paper’s stated plan is to describe related work, system requirements and design, a prototype with its user interface, and a conclusion.Source: §I · p. 1

II. RELATED WORK

  • The related-work review says earlier remote-processing systems may lose wireless-network efficiency, while prior local monitoring did not address older adults’ broader living demands.It describes WAITER as relatively static and a cardiac-monitoring application as offering monitoring rather than broader healthcare services.Source: §II · p. 2

III. REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION

The requirements combine real-time, anytime-anywhere monitoring with health information, medical guidance, and assistance for older adults’ daily needs.

III. REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION

  • The specification frames the system around both assisted-living needs and healthcare, including auxiliary functions for older adults.It also identifies a communication platform and medical knowledge database as components of medical guidance.Source: §III · p. 2
  • iCare’s requirements include real-time mobile health monitoring, a personal health information system, medical guidance, and a living assistant.Source: §III · p. 2

A. Mobile Health Monitoring System

iCare collects physiological data through body sensors and devices, processes it on a smartphone, and uses threshold alerts to initiate emergency response. Periodic server uploads support a personal health information system that lets authorized users view health history and doctors adjust thresholds.

A. Mobile Health Monitoring System

  • Body sensors and devices collect physiological signals for smartphone processing; threshold exceedances trigger alerts to pre-assigned people and the emergency centre.The emergency centre can call an ambulance to the older adult’s location, and sensor selection can be tailored to the person’s health condition.Source: A. Mobile Health Monitoring System · p. 2

B. Personal Health Information System

C. Medical Guidance

Medical guidance combines a communication platform with a medical knowledge database, while the living-assistant functions address medication reminders, quick alarms, and location tracking. The system design links sensors and devices, a smartphone, a server, and an emergency centre.

C. Medical Guidance

  • Medical guidance provides a communication platform and medical knowledge database for users to obtain health information and self-care guidance.It is intended to support cooperation among doctors, older adults, family, and friends.Source: C. Medical Guidance · p. 3

D. Living Assistant

  • Regular reminders support medication-taking, quick alarm enables immediate alerts, and location tracking helps locate older adults in emergencies.The reminder function can also provide advice based on current climate conditions.Source: D. Living Assistant · p. 3

IV. SYSTEM DESIGN

  • The system architecture comprises devices, a smartphone, a server, and an emergency centre; the phone relays alerts and the centre can call an ambulance.Figure 1 is identified as the system architecture.Source: §IV · p. 3, Figure 1 · p. 3

A. Sensors and Devices

iCare uses physiological sensors selected and configured for each older person’s health needs. ECG, blood pressure, and activity are identified as relevant monitoring targets.

A. Sensors and Devices

  • ECG is prioritized for continuous collection because cardiac disease is common among older people at high risk.The paper also identifies high blood pressure as an important risk factor requiring regular monitoring.Source: A. Sensors and Devices · p. 3
  • An accelerometer can assess activity level, which the paper presents as an indication relevant to physical exercise and life expectancy.Source: A. Sensors and Devices · p. 3
  • Users can choose sensors and devices to fit personal health conditions, and doctors can configure the sensor setup.Examples include a Bluetooth ECG/accelerometer sensor and a Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitor.Source: A. Sensors and Devices · p. 3

B. Smart Phone

The smartphone links sensors, the server, and emergency contacts while providing real-time monitoring and life-assistant functions. Its modules process physiological data, use doctor-set thresholds to manage alarms, and support configuration and reminders.

B. Smart Phone

  • The smartphone’s nine modules cover data exchange, processing, user settings, inquiries, quick alarms, location tracking, and reminders.Data receiving obtains sensor and server information; sending transmits data to the server and alarm messages to the emergency centre, family, and friends.Source: B. Smart Phone · pp. 3–4
  • Bluetooth links the phone to sensors, while GPRS sends data in bulk to the server and GSM carries doctors’ advice and thresholds by SMS.Source: B. Smart Phone · p. 4
  • Physiological readings are stored and checked against doctor-set thresholds; two adjacent exceedances trigger an alarm process that allows cancellation before contacts are notified.The phone includes the subject’s location in alarm information and receives updated thresholds and advice from doctors remotely.Source: B. Smart Phone · p. 4
  • Configuration sets the system mode, selected devices, transmission intervals, alarm targets, and alarm waiting time.Basic information records details for the older person, doctors, family, and friends.Source: B. Smart Phone · p. 4
  • Auxiliary functions include medical-knowledge inquiry, location tracking, quick alarm, and medicine and climate reminders.Users can set medicine reminders every six, eight, or twelve hours; climate reminders can run every one, two, or three days.Source: B. Smart Phone · p. 4

C. Server

The server combines a personal health information system with medical guidance. It stores and presents health records, supports remote doctor updates, and provides communication and medical-knowledge resources for users.

C. Server

  • The personal health information system stores physiological data and other information and presents current and historical conditions comparatively.Doctors can update thresholds and send advice by SMS; authorized family and friends can receive access granted by the older person.Source: C. Server · p. 5
  • Medical guidance combines a communication platform, where users and doctors exchange messages, with a medical-knowledge database.Doctors can advise family and friends viewing an older person’s condition, supporting their cooperation in care.Source: C. Server · p. 5
  • Specialists can add and evaluate medical knowledge, and search results carry confidence levels that users can filter.The three levels are credit, general, and weak; weak-level records are not recommended, and evaluative criteria can change with specialist verification and user responses.Source: C. Server · p. 5

D. Emergency Centre

iCare’s emergency-centre workflow uses SMS alarm messages containing the subject’s location so an ambulance can be sent there. The prototype integrates the smartphone and server functions, and the main interface requires user details and configuration before use.

D. Emergency Centre

  • The emergency centre processes location-bearing SMS alarms to determine the subject’s location and call an ambulance there.Source: D. Emergency Centre · p. 5

V. PROTOTYPE IMPLEMENTATION

  • The prototype integrates four system parts across a heterogeneous network, with a Java ME smartphone application and JSP server application.The first prototype stage focuses on the main user interface and unique project cases.Source: §V · p. 5

A. Main Interface

  • Before using the smartphone interface, users must enter personal, doctor, family, and friend information and configure devices and alert phone numbers.Source: A. Main Interface · pp. 5–6

B. Real-time Health Monitoring

iCare displays real-time physiological data against current thresholds and can alert emergency responders and pre-assigned contacts. Doctors can send thresholds and advice remotely to support dynamic monitoring.

B. Real-time Health Monitoring

  • The monitoring interface displays real-time physiological data and current thresholds, with ECG shown when it is the only signal selected in configuration.Figure 3 depicts the real-time monitoring interface.Source: B. Real-time Health Monitoring · p. 6, Figure 3 · p. 6
  • On detecting an emergency, iCare alerts the emergency centre and pre-assigned people with the elderly person's time, identification, sensor, and location information.The alarm message includes the current time, the elderly person's and sensor's identification numbers, and location information.Source: B. Real-time Health Monitoring · p. 6
  • Doctors can send thresholds and advice remotely by SMS, supporting dynamic monitoring and real-time medical guidance.Figure 4 shows the advice sent by doctors.Source: B. Real-time Health Monitoring · p. 6, Figure 4 · p. 6

C. Regular Reminder

iCare's regular reminder is designed as a living-assistant function and currently includes medicine and climate reminders. When enabled with a set period, reminders recur; the climate reminder displays current conditions and a prompt.

C. Regular Reminder

D. Medical Guidance

iCare's medical guidance combines a communication platform with a medical knowledge database, while its conclusion describes broader monitoring and living-assistant functions. The paper characterizes the system as first-stage and identifies interface, guidance, and regional-service work still needed.

D. Medical Guidance

  • The server's medical knowledge database returns related measures and advice at a confidence level based on a user's keyword and area.The database's evaluation criteria remain in testing and improvement with medical specialists.Source: D. Medical Guidance · p. 6

VI. CONCLUSION

  • iCare combines remote monitoring and emergency alarms with living-assistant functions and a personal health system for doctors to review conditions and set sensor thresholds remotely.Its communication platform and medical knowledge database support guidance, and family and friends can cooperate with doctors in caring for the elderly.Source: §VI · p. 6
  • The system is in its first stage; its interfaces and medical guidance need improvement, while regional emergency service depends on improved location tracking and community service.The paper also identifies a possible medical-knowledge-database bottleneck and calls for further work on functions for older people's needs.Source: §VI · p. 7
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