Smart Hydration & Snack Cart for Elder Care Facilities

描述(由申请人提供)：我们建议开发一种“智能车”，用于在用餐时间之间分发饮料和零食，这是一种基本上未被研究的方法，用于改善老年医院和长期护理机构的老年人的水分和营养。智能车具有以下功能：1)识别使用RFID技术的居民的身份；2)记住他们的饮食限制；3)记住他们的饮料和零食偏好；4)测量和记录一段时间内的消费情况，智能车将促进活动人员和志愿者的使用，以补充饮食工作人员和护理人员的营养支持工作。目前，只记录了用餐时间的食物和液体消耗量。智能车将方便工作人员和志愿者的使用，他们可能不熟悉特定个人的饮食需求，但现在将能够提供适当和首选的补充营养，并自动记录消费情况，以便纳入每个居民的营养记录。使用志愿者和活动人员，他们通常是兼职的，工资低于认证护理助理(CNA)，比训练有素的饮食工作人员或CNA提供零食的成本更低。此外，它还解放了CNA，让他们可以从事更多他们获得认证的个人保健工作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose developing a "Smart Cart" for dispensing beverages and snacks between mealtimes, which is a largely unstudied means for improving hydration and nutrition for the elderly in geriatric hospitals and long-term care facilities. With the ability: 1) to recognize the identity of residents using RFID technology, 2) to remember their dietary restrictions, 3) to remember their beverage and snack preferences, and 4) to measure and record consumption over time, the Smart Cart will facilitate the use of activity personnel and volunteers to supplement the nutrition support efforts of dietary staff and nursing aides. Currently, only mealtime food and fluid consumption is recorded. The Smart Cart will facilitate the use of staff and volunteers, who may not be familiar with specific individual's dietary needs, but who now will be able to provide both appropriate and preferred supplementary nutrition and automatically document consumption for integration into each resident's nutritional record. Use of volunteers and of activity personnel, who are often part time and lower paid than certified nursing aides (CNAs), is less costly than having either trained dietary staff or CNAs provide snacks. Also, it frees the CNAs to do more of the personal health care for which they are certified.