Senior Design Projects
ECS193 A/B Winter & Spring 2020
Interactive Care (I-Care) Platform for remote caregiving of older adults with Alzheimer's disease
| ********** | |
| Name | Alyssa Weakley. PhD |
| Affiliation | UC Davis Neurology Department/Alzheimer's Disease Center |
Project's details
| Project title | Interactive Care (I-Care) Platform for remote caregiving of older adults with Alzheimer's disease |
| Background | Healthcare costs are expected to soar by 2050 when 21% of the U.S. population will be over age 65. many of whom will be unable to live independently due to cognitive decline. Some of this cost can be avoided by helping individuals remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. However. there is a widening gap between older adults’ need and desire for in-home care and the availability of family members to provide that care. resulting in unmet needs. Technology-enabled remote caregiving will serve to bridge this gap. |
| Description | A central cognitive rehabilitation tool is the dry-erase whiteboard which is hung in a prominent location within the home and clearly displays the day. date. daily schedule. and important reminders. The whiteboard promotes orientation and reduces reliance on caregivers. but requires habitual training delivered by an in-home caregiver. The Interactive Care (I-Care) platform extends the traditional whiteboard to a digital application. making remote caregiving a possibility. The I-Care platform will consist of a large touch screen computer for the user that takes the place of the “whiteboard” and an accompanying mobile/tablet app. I-Care will enable a secure and rapid form of communication between the care-recipient and their caregiver and will allow all stakeholders to manage the care recipient’s calendar. daily to-do lists (e.g.. take morning medication) and goals (e.g.. exercise 20 minutes). Customizable alarms will allow users and caregivers to pre-record video. audio. or text messages to prompt when it is time to complete an activity. Once a task is completed. the care recipient can check it off. giving themselves a sense of accomplishment and keeping their caregiver in-the-loop. If the task has not been completed by a certain time I-Care can provide a friendly reminder to the care-recipient and a notification to the caregiver. Smart technology in the form of a sensor-equipped pillbox will also be incorporated. I-Care core app features: 1. To-Do List with video and audio alarm feature 2. Calendar with capacity to automatically populate to-do list 3. Video Chat with capacity to save all video interactions to detect cognitive/communication change over time (possible future project). 4. Take and send pictures. audio. and video messages 5. Text message with alerts sent to caregiver’s mobile device 6. Communication with pillbox sensor |
| Deliverable | 1. Development of the I-Care app across platforms (e.g.. smart TV. tablet. phone) 2. Development of 2 unique app views – 1. Patient view and 2. Caregiver View 3. Visualization of app usage from 1. Patient and 2. Caregiver 4. Develop communication capabilities between a sensor (pillbox) and the app 5. Creation of automated messages that are sent when sensor is triggered or not triggered by a certain time |
| Skill set desirable | 1. Familiarity with cross-platform (e.g.. smart TV. tablet. phone) android app design 2. Ability to visualize data of app usage from unique users (e.g.. caregiver usage vs. patient usage) 3. Capacity to create sensor communication with app and develop automated alerts |
| Phone number | ********** |
| Client time availability | 30-60 min weekly or more |
| IP requirement | Client wishes to keep IP of the project |
| Attachment | Click here |
| Selected | Yes |
| Team members | N/A |
| TA | Tony |