A WSN Integrated Solution System for Technological Support to the Self-Sufficient Elderly

Abstract

The proposed system is basically an automatic dispenser of medicines which integrates functionalities of remote and real-time monitoring of the activities of the elderly in home environment. It includes the generation of alarms resulting from the omission of taking medicines and other critical events such as the permanence of the elderly in a room for a period not consistent with normal daily activities. The main elements of this system are a pair of LED smart lamps called MARCH’ingegno and Sibilla, the first one is the dispenser of medicines which embeds WSN coordinator role, located in the house of the elderly, the other is the displays of real-time alarms, located in the house of relatives or caregiver. The mobility monitoring system is composed of wireless sensor nodes distributed in the house of the elderly. MARCH’ingegno acquires information from these sensors through its RF interface, processes it and transfers the report to a remote web server together with the notes of taking medicines. The tests show that the system operates properly and the wireless sensor nodes ditributed at home provide an adequate coverage area and correct response times.