A Home Based TeleHealth System for the Elderly with Alzheimer’s Review Article

By 2020 it is predicted that chronic diseases will account for almost three quarters of all deaths. According to the World Health Organization the elderly population is expected to become 1.2 billion in 2025. This aging problem contributes greatly to chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s; Elderly are suffering from Alzheimer’s. The major implications of Alzheimer’s are patient safety and care. The aim of this paper is to develop a Telehealth system, based on IoT technology, for monitoring elderly individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s. We describe a working prototype that is able to capture the vital signs and deliver the desired data remotely for elderly individuals staying at home, using a wearable ECG wireless sensor. In addition, an Active wearable RFID wristband, with IR room locators are used to monitor the whereabouts of the elderly at room level. This prototype was successfully tested on a number of patients at KFUPM Medical Centre in Saudi Arabia. Computer Engineering Department, King Fahd Universtiy of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia. *Corresponding author Muhammad Wasim Raad, Computer Engineering Department, King Fahd Universtiy of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia, E-Mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Submitted: 04 Dec 2016; Accepted: 12 Jan 2017; Published: 15 Jan 2017