Early detection of mild cognitive impairment in elderly through IoT: Preliminary findings

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) results in the gradual decline in a person's cognitive abilities, and subsequently an increased risk of developing dementia. Although there is no cure for dementia, timely medical and clinical interventions can be administered to elderly who have been diagnosed with MCI, to decelerate the process of further cognitive decline and prolong the duration that they enjoy quality of life. In this paper, we present our preliminary findings of early detection of MCI in elderly who are living in the community, through the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for continuous, unobtrusive sensing. Multi-modal sensors are placed in the residences of elderly, to monitor their Activities of Daily Living (ADL), as well as to detect signs of forgetfulness, which are considered symptoms of MCI. Early results indicate that IoT is a promising technology that can potentially pick up signs of early cognitive decline in the elderly.