Summary
Background: ICT based solutions are increasingly introduced for active and healthy ageing. In
this context continuous monitoring of older adults with domestic sensor systems has
been suggested to provide important information about their functional health. However,
there is not yet a solid model for the interpretation of the sensor data.
Objectives: The aim of our study is to define a set of predictors of functional health that can
be measured with domestic sensors and to determine thresholds that identify relevant
changes in these predictors.
Methods: On the basis of literature we develop a model that relates functional health predictors
to features derived from sensor data. The parameters of this model are determined
on the basis of a study among health experts (n = 38). The use of the full model is
illustrated with three cases.
Results: We identified 25 predictors and their attributes. For 12 of them that can be measured
with passive infrared motion sensors we determined their parameters: the attribute
thresholds and the urgency thresholds.
Conclusions: With the parametrized predictors in the model, domestic sensors can be deployed to
assess functional health in a standardized way. Three case examples showed how the
model can be used as a screening instrument for functional decline.
Keywords
Ambulatory monitoring - telemetry - telemedicine - activities of daily living - biomedical
technology - frail elderly
