Using Pervasive Computing to Deliver Elder Care

1536-1268/02/$17.00 © 2002 IEEE A s an example of an early application that puts pervasive computing technologies directly in the service of improved quality of life for the elderly and that is “gracefully integrated with human users,” this inaugural installment looks at the assisted living complex constructed by Elite Care (www. elite-care.com). By building pervasive computing into the environment, Elite Care’s Oatfield Estates Cluster (Milwaukie, Oregon) gives residents as much autonomy and even responsibility for themselves and their environment as possible. The company focuses on creating a personalized environment that avoids the traditional institutional care model used in nursing homes for the elderly who can no longer live unassisted. From the physical setting (see Figure 1), to the language used to set expectations, to the pervasive computing environment, everything about the environment is arranged to serve this goal. Elite Care based the residential setting’s layout on an apartment complex rather than a hospital with its hallways and rooms. By using a social care model that has the staff making house calls rather than doctors making rounds, the residents continue to live as normally as they can. In this scheme, pervasive sensors and staff assist residents in maintaining their independence, offering assistance as necessary and using pervasive sensors to monitor vital signs and health indicators. DEVELOPING THE TECHNOLOGY Founders Bill Reed and Lydia Lundberg established Elite Care to improve housing and health care for the elderly, evolving the project from their research on elder-care facilities and issues surrounding aging. Experience with their own aging parents helped motivate their efforts. Elite Care, a small, family-owned business, developed all aspects of the technology, including construction, care giving, and pervasive computing, without venture funding and on a limited budget. Design goals included low-cost integration of technologies, unobtrusiveness, and an elderfriendly software interface. The company’s advisory committee included representatives from the Mayo Clinic, Harvard University, Providence Health System, Intel, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Oregon Health Sciences University, Eindhoven University of Technology, and Sandia National Laboratory. Six primary stakeholder groups at Elite Care, each with its own set of needs and responsibilities, use the computing environments: