Towards an evidence-based and context-aware elderly caring system using persuasive engagement

Abstract

Due to the rapid growth of the aging population, numerous countries have been attaching importance to establishing the well-being of the elderly. However, long-term healthcare is labor intensive. To alleviate the possible social costs associated with manpower and physical resources, we propose an evidence-based caring system which can inconspicuously and automatically monitor the health status of the elderly by continuously analyzing their real-life long-term living patterns deduced from activity recognition. In this way, caregivers can get hold of the behavior changes even the elderly is not under caregivers' supervision. Moreover, we adopt a persuasive policy to provide timely reminders and encourage the elderly to achieve a healthier life. In the primary stage, we do preliminary experiments in a nursing room. Based on the experiment, we conduct several interviews aiming to improve our system in the next phase. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.