Development of an Automated, Real-Time Health Monitor and Emergency Alert System for the Elderly

The state of health of the elderly members of society and the fact that most of this group of persons either live alone or with family creates a need for constant monitoring as they are often times left alone for the greater part of the day when their hosts or family members have to go to work. The most common cause of death among the aged is heart related. Heath related medical emergencies range from heart attacks to strokes which happen suddenly leaving the victims with little or no ability to call for help. This system provides a means of monitoring the heart rate, temperature and blood pressure of the individual. It also has the capability of sending a pre stored message to the control center which passes it on to the nearest medical team or emergency response team indicating the location of the user, the vital signs and some medical history in the event of an emergency when the alert function is activated. These messages are sent using the GSM-SMS technology and are delivered within seconds of activation. The system can be provided by the health care providers, emergency response service providers, HMO and hospitals. The device is to be worn all times by the individuals such that they are monitored in real time. The system also has a panic button which can be activated by the user for medical challenges other than heart related cases where the individual is not able to reach a phone. The system also incorporates a GPS receiver system capable of transmitting the location of the user in the event that the emergency occurred outdoors. The system provides a real time monitoring of the health conditions of the aged and enables a faster deployment of paramedics in the event of a medical emergency