MIDAS-miniature intelligent domiciliary alarm system-a practical application of telecare

Increasing numbers of older people are able to live independently in the community through the support of telecare systems. Those who are considered to be frail and at risk of sudden decline need 24 hour monitoring in addition to automatic sensors to detect specific emergency conditions. MIDAS is a second generation telecare system designed to provide a person living alone with a high level of continuous monitoring and detection of need. It is based on a battery of non-intrusive activity sensors and environmental sensors which report to a local intelligence unit (LIU). The LIU processes the data in real-time in order to detect potential emergency situations using simple sequence and timing rules. It also builds up a lifestyle profile which enables social decline to be detected and predictions to be made of future problems such as falls or illness. The software may be altered to enable MIDAS to measure a cognitive function index or to provide an assessment of the activities of daily living It may also provide security functions and a means of quality assuring the delivery of domiciliary care.