The movements of old people suffering from dementia can be monitored and their safety improved with new solutions based on positioning and sensor technology. The Lahti Science and Business Park tests the innovations in test-homes for old people.

An internationally patented innovation of the Lahti-based company Mobile Safe Track Oy is based on wireless communication between an identifier carried by the target person and a WLAN support station network. The system is activated when the target person goes outside the designated ‘home area’ and sends a warning to, for example, relatives.

“The system lets you know when the target person has left the permitted area and makes it easier to search for them and bring them to safety. As long as the target person moves within the home area, no information is given about their movements i.e. the system remains silent,” says Jyrki Rautkivi, the programme coordinator at Lahti Science and Business Park.

The programme can be configured to send automatic notification of an alarm where desired e.g. to relatives, the police or a service centre either by phone, text message or email. It is a unique solution that has never been tested anywhere else before. The test will start at the turn of the year and last until autumn 2007.

Information increases safety

“The system is important for the safety of the target person and may even save their life. A big advantage is that a person can live an independent life longer at home and in safety,” Rautkivi adds.

The system tells relatives that the target person is safe in the home area. When the warning goes out that the area has been left, searches can begin immediately and efficiently.

“This naturally helps the lives of the relatives. The need for unnecessary and intrusive supervision for the sake of being sure is reduced and the focus can be on positive interaction.”

When information about the movements of a lost person is received quickly by different authorities, the advantages attained for the whole of society and health care are also considerable.

Sensor follows movements

Starting in autumn 2006, sensor technology developed by Helsinki University of Technology and produced by Elsi Technologies Oy will be tested in two old people’s homes. The technology will register the quality of a person’s sleep and monitor the number people and positioning in the room.

The sensor consists of a thin film placed under a carpet or on the base of a bed and an electronic unit. The system gives off an alarm if a person falls or leaves the room at the wrong time of the day. The technology can be utilized in other instances such as directing lighting or positioning goods.

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Heikki Roilas, the medical director at Lappeenranta Spa, regularly uses an online remote connection during his working week for patients who are being treated at home.