Monitoring Technology Could Detect DementiaMonitoring Technology Could Detect Dementia

Originally Published MDDI February 2004R&D DIGESTErik Swain

February 1, 2004

3 Min Read
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Originally Published MDDI February 2004

R&D DIGEST



Erik Swain

Sensors embedded in a walker helpmonitor the activity of its user.

An Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU; Portland, OR) professor has received a grant to create a sensing technology that can detect dementia and cognitive impairment in elderly adults.

Dementia occurs in 10–16% of those over 75 and up to 50% of those over 85. Those who experience mild cognitive impairment such as memory loss are at as much as a 50% risk of developing dementia within five years. Without family, friends, or caregivers picking up these cognitive changes, dementia can go undetected, leading to the risk of a senior falling, getting lost, or experiencing some other catastrophe.

As a result, Misha Pavel, PhD, a professor at OSHU's OGI School of Science & Engineering, is leading a three-year study to create simple, intelligent biosensors to monitor the movements of seniors continuously and unobtrusively. 

The team recently received a $300,000 grant for the project from Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA). The sites for the study are Elite Care, a private senior home in Milwaukie, OR, and Calaroga Terrace Retirement Community in Portland.

The sensors are being placed in areas around the facilities where seniors are often found, and, for those in the Elite Care group, on infrared badges the seniors are wearing. 

“The sensors will constantly and quietly relay information to a computer that can help us reliably determine the regular movement of each senior within the project,” says Pavel. “For example, if a senior who never takes a walk suddenly leaves the building, the sensor may be invaluable in alerting caregivers to a subtle but important cognitive change, as well as avert a potential danger in the senior getting lost or harmed.”

Another part of the project is the development of computer games for Calaroga residents to monitor trends in cognitive function over time, to define a set of cognitive capabilities for each senior, and to maintain or even enhance such capabilities. Assisting in that effort is Spry Learning (Portland). 

Right now, the sensors are being tested in a Hillsboro, OR, lab that is designed to look like a senior's living area. Motion detectors track seniors' movements and sensors on chairs and beds monitor sitting and sleeping positions.

Eventually, Pavel's team would like to get funding to enable it to test the system on seniors still living in single-family homes. 

“These kinds of embedded technologies that can be easily incorporated into everyday life are going to start becoming very important to baby boomers who want the best quality of life possible as they age,” says Pavel. “Family members will also appreciate the home-healthcare technologies that are on the horizon for added peace of mind about their loved ones' health and well-being. And caregivers will appreciate the enhanced services they will be able to offer. Technologies for home healthcare are going to be a win-win situation for everyone.”

Pavel's colleagues on the project include Jeffrey Kaye, PhD, professor of neurology at the OHSU School of Medicine and director of the Layton Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Center at OHSU and the Portland VA Medical Center; Holly Jimison, PhD, assistant professor of medical informatics and clinical epidemiology at the OHSU School of Medicine; and Linda Boise, PhD, MPh, director of education at the Layton center. Also on the project is Katherine Wild, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology at the OHSU School of Medicine. She will lead the cognitive testing and evaluate the effects of dementia.

Copyright ©2004 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry

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