CARE BUDDY Care for the caregivers
CARE BUDDY A wearable device that strives to improve the health of both patients and caregivers, specifically for seniors who are taken cared by their family members. It utilize modern technology such as GPS, RFID, fall sensor, and activity tracker that can be customized to actively prevent patients from harm. Care Buddy strives to give caregivers’ personal lives back, and give patients senses of freedom in their own homes, while receiving even higher levels of care from their caregivers.
65.7 million informal and family caregivers provide care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged in the U.S.
8.9 million informal caregivers provide care to someone who are over 50 year old with dementia.
39 million the number of care-giving households in the U.S. for persons aged 50+ could reach in the near future.
2/3 of the patients rely solely on family
members and other informal help, often resulting in great strain for the family caregivers.
$303,880 lost income and benefits over a care giver’s lifetime.
I HAVE FALLEN AND I CAN’T GET UP
PASSIVE PREVENTION There is no existing product that can actively prevent users from potential hazardous situation.
FRAGMENTED FEATURES Current products fail to offer a complete solution and features that accommodate most aspects of users’ daily lives.
DELAYED RESPONSE Current products offers no solution to prevent risk or understand users’ current biometric status
WHY DO THEY WANDER?
Anxiety from the environment
Often, dementia patient feels overwhelmed due to environmental factors like loud noises.
Absent of living essentials
Memory of past routines
Dementia patients would go through the house looking for what they need, and sometimes ending up wandering out of the house.
Dementia patient sometimes wander out to perform past daily routine that they remember such as picking children up from the school or going to church.
Icon Credit: Project Noun, Scream by Uriel Sosa. Food by Matt Brooks. Memory by Anne-Marie Nguyen.
FACTORS
Scenario
Their regular routines are taken into the consideration such as hospital trips or exercising.
Functions
The device should be able to track their location, and vital signs. And send alerts to their caregivers.
Specifications
This device utilize GPS, RFID, iBeacon, heart rate monitor, and fall sensor with a companion application.
Icon Credit: Project Noun, Hospital by Delware Hossain. Gears by David. GPS by Bezier Master
IDEATION
RENDERS Volume Control
Speaker & Microphone
Emergency Button
Magnetic lock that notifies the system if it is unlocked
Silicon body to minimize irritation to skin
SYSTEM FEATURES
EMERGENCY
ALERT LEVELS It automatically categorize different situations that would trigger alerts into three different levels.
LOCATION SENSITIVE
CONCERNING
Same action in different locations triggers different levels of alerts.
CUSTOMIZATION Alerts and schedule can be customized to fit every patient’s needs.
INCREMENTAL ALERTS System would upgrade alerts if the cause persist
ABNORMAL
INTERFACE
The interface aim not to be cognitively overwhelming for the caregivers. It uses different colors to indicate care recipient’s status. It also utilizes large icons and text for simple navigation.
CUSTOMIZATION
Heart Rate
Fall Censor
Caregiver can set up ideal heart rate for the patient and activities such as exercise and medication that would affect the heart rate.
Caregiver can define hazardous area, night area and the distance allowed for the patient to be away from the house.
Location
Caregiver can select the activities that would interfere with the sensor such as exercise and others
Emergency
Caregiver can decide if the system would contact emergency personnel or simply send an alert to the caregiver in certain situations.
FLOW CHART
SET UP
USE
REVIEW
Place iBeacons
False alarms Unreported incidents Change patient’s status
Doctor/caretaker review patient’s activity history
Mark hazardous areas
Customize profile
Modify daily routine Change of medicine Different level of care Potential harm identified Change system setting
Change system setting Create activities
Set up calenders
Continue using
Continue to use