Award Abstract #1237970
EAGER: An In-Home Health Alert System with Remote Care Coordination

NSF Org:	CNS Division of Computer and Network Systems
Initial Amendment Date:	April 25, 2012
Latest Amendment Date:	April 25, 2012
Award Number:	1237970
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Min Song CNS Division of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering
Start Date:	July 1, 2012
Expires:	June 30, 2013 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$299,654.00
Investigator(s):	Marjorie Skubic skubicm@missouri.edu (Principal Investigator) Marilyn Rantz (Co-Principal Investigator) David Heise (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of Missouri-Columbia 310 JESSE HALL COLUMBIA, MO 65211-1230 (573)882-7560
NSF Program(s):	INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARC
Program Reference Code(s):	8002, 7916
Program Element Code(s):	1640

ABSTRACT

The unobtrusive monitoring of individuals with in-home sensors offers enormous potential for detecting early health problems-before they become big problems--so timely interventions can be provided to improve the health trajectory. The result is continued high functional ability, independence, and better health outcomes. Early detection of health changes is the key to this approach. This project leverages ongoing work at the University of Missouri in Health Alert Systems with sensor technology. A scaled-up version of the Health Alert System is being tested in senior housing in Cedar Falls, Iowa, using in-home sensors and remote video conferencing for nurse care coordination. Fiber networking provides the bandwidth and latency essential for the project. The Health Alert System includes motion sensors for activity monitoring and Kinect depth images for gait analysis, and integrates a new hydraulic bed sensor that captures quantitative pulse, respiration, and restlessness. Pattern recognition algorithms are used to look for changes in the sensor data patterns and generate health alerts to clinicians, who provide further diagnosis and determine appropriate interventions. The usability and effectiveness of the remote Health Alert System will be evaluated for managing chronic health conditions. Testing the Health Alert System at a remote site from the healthcare providers will provide important information about how the approach scales up into other settings with high speed video conferencing and transfer of sensor data. This will provide an important next step towards moving the approach into independent housing where seniors want to be and offers potential healthcare cost savings.

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