A Hybrid Key Item Locating Method to Assist Elderly Daily Life Using Internet of Things

Abstract

With the advancement of medical technology and the rise of medical awareness, the average life expectancy has risen. Advanced countries have stepped into the aged society successively. Building a senior citizen-friendly environment has become an important issue. On one hand, senior citizens are likely to forget where key items are placed due to hypomnesia. Life is inconvenient for them. On the other hand, the proportion of elderly living alone or living only with spouse increases. Without children’s accompany, a senior citizen’s life could be in danger if he or she suddenly feels uncomfortable, and cannot find the therapeutic drugs instantly. As the information and communication technology has improved in recent years, the Internet of Things technology has gradually become more mature. The arisen of IoT is not only helpful to our daily life in terms of traffic and shopping, but also with clinical knowledge and experience is applicable to build the environment of health care and increase the quality of home care service for senior citizens. In this paper, we attempt to build a life supporting mechanism in the home environment of senior citizens based on the architecture of Internet of Things. This work proposes a new type of hybrid calculation algorithm which combines xBeacon sensing equipment, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) positioning, event analysis method and intelligent cutting algorithm to cut the possible range where the object may be placed into sections, so as to estimate the location of the key items. By tracking key items, elderly people can reduce anxiety and uncomfortable feeling caused by missing key items. To effectively record and analyze routine behavior pattern, this proposed mechanism can support the mobility of the elderly to maintain independent daily life and is helpful for the implementation of “home-based care for the aged” and “aging in place”.