An Investigation Of Remote Monitoring & Alerting Systems for Healthcare Mobility
Is this something you have heard before?
“My 78 year old mom was walking around her condo front yard. She fell outside and broke her hip and no one was around to help. Her cell phone landed 15 feet away from her and she couldn’t crawl to it. She had a wireless life alert pendant, but it didn’t work as she was too far away from her condo (were the base station was located). She had to wait 2 hours before someone found her. She could have died.” Cookie S.
This could happen to your loved one! Wireless systems require that the remote be within range of the base station often located in the house which is just too far away.
People with physical or mental handicaps need to be able to count on an automated system to get help when needed!
If your loved one has a handicap that limits their ability to move about and cannot be left alone, then a automated remote monitoring system should be considered. Consideration should be given to the disability and lifestyle of the individual. With the right system, many individuals can still have independence while loved ones can have piece of mind.
Both the needy and the caregiver will benefit from a remote alerting and monitoring system. The physically or mentally challenged, elderly, children or even pregnant women have moments where they require help. In emergency situations these systems are not only invaluable, but also life saving.
Technology can surely improve a person’s quality of life while offering relief to loved ones and caregivers.
With this new technology, problems can be introduced. Scooters and wheelchairs pose a problem where an individual is easily able to travel far from home and help.
Regardless of age, individuals with limited walking mobility find comfort in manual and motorized wheelchairs. Manual wheelchairs are either self-propelled or pushed by a caretaker. Recent developments in manufacturing technologies and cost offsets by insurance carriers have resulted in increased use of power wheelchairs and motorized scooters. Regardless of the type of wheelchair, they provide mobility, personal freedom and improved quality of life.
A range of 10 to 15 miles or more is provided by many wheelchairs or scooters on a single battery charge. This dinstance can place an otherwise needy person far from help. They are not only used around the house and yard, but are used to travel to local shopping and to visit neighbors and family which greatly increases personal freedom.
A cell phone should be carried by wheelchair and scooter users because of the inherent dangers. However some people are unable to use a mobile phone for various reasons which may include a sudden attach or accident.
This article looks at other solutions to cellphones to provide greater convenience and reliability and just may be a better solution to limited health risks.
An individual can travel far from home and help with these new mobility vehicles. An accident or other emergency situation can turn into something more serious if help is not immediately available.
What is Monitoring & Alerting?
Monitoring and alerting are two different things. Monitoring measures parameters such as physical conditions (e.g., heart rate, body position). Alerting is a report of a monitored parameter. Many systems monitor, fewer systems alert and even fewer do both.
Alerting is the most critical of the two. Someone needs to be immediately notified when another needs help. The complication of automated alerting, which is required during many emergency situations, is that is requires accurate monitoring.
Monitoring is accomplished by various sensors. For people who are moving the sensors are generally battery-powered. Sensors send data to a computer chip for analyses. If something is wrong then an audible or visible alarm goes off (that alarm is the “alerting” part). Some alerts are more sophisticated and can provide a text message or email. Even more sophisticated are alerts that send messages via telephone.
Monitoring and Alerting Value
Real-time monitoring and alerting for your power wheelchair or any mobile medical device can significantly reduce the danger associated with accidents or physical collapse. A monitoring system can track the user’s location, vital signs, equipment maintenance issues, and can offer a “panic button” all coupled to an automated alert notification system that can be configured to notify the user’s doctor, ambulance, family members, neighbors, local first responders, and other caregivers.
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