SafeSteps: A mobile app for monitoring and tracking the elderly with Alzheimer's using an IoT device

A considerable population of older adults in Peru suffers from Alzheimer's disease, which causes progressive degradation of cognitive abilities, high dependency, and other symptoms that result in reduced quality of life. Additionally, memory loss and disorientation account for half of the cases of disappearance of older adults, especially when family members do not have the time or resources to provide care for the elderly. Therefore, an IoT architecture and a real-time monitoring and control system for older adults with Alzheimer's disease is proposed, using an IoT device connected to the mobile devices of family members or caregivers. The proposed system was implemented in five layers: capture, communication, business logic, storage, and presentation. It consists of two applications: a smartwatch and a smartphone. Validation tests were conducted with caregivers and health experts in various districts of Lima Metropolitana, Peru. The results demonstrate that the proposal has high accuracy (100%) and a fast response time (5.6 s) for notifying the caregiver of exceeded limits. The survey results from health experts and caregivers showed an average rating of 4.6 (Completely agree), 4.4 (Agree), and 4.6 (Completely agree) in terms of "functionality," "efficiency," and "usability," respectively.