Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Research Background

Most developed countries are facing the problem of increasing number of elderly. In an aging society, it is highly desirable to reduce the need for medical services by maintaining the health of the population. The need of health care and management for the elderly is an urgent issue. Home has become the centerpiece of health delivery system today. Intensive monitoring of health parameters in the home environment is necessary for health care and management. Telehomecare, or the more modern term home telehealth, can be defined as the use of information and communication technologies to enable effective delivery and management of health services at a patient’s residence [1]. Home telehealth allows the patient the dignity of remaining in their own home for as long as possible by providing care that is equal or superior to approaches that rely solely on health providers coming into the home for scheduled visits [2]. Home telehealth systems can provide access to the users’ monitored data for users themselves, contributing to health self-management and reduction in in-person home visits [3, 4]. Home telehealth differs from telemedicine in the sense that people who transmit and receive medical information are not necessarily medical doctors but the patients themselves and their families, nurses, care-givers, home-helpers and medical technical experts, etc [5].