Design and study of tele-mobile platform for an existing elderly adult interaction system

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According to statistics Canada between 1981 and 2011, the percentage of population between ages of 65-74 has increased from 6% to 8% and for people between the ages of 75-84 has increase from 2.9% to 4.9%. It is projected that by 2041, seniors comprises nearly a quarter (24.5%) of the Canadian population, as compare to 14.8% today. Many seniors or their families have the financial capability to support and purchase of technology that significantly enhances their lives. Many seniors are dealing with chronic health conditions that could make it difficult for them to perform physical activities, leave their homes or travel for important appointments. In addition to these physical limitations, being socially connected to others is very important to the well-being of seniors living at home. Claris Healthcare (the industry partner www.clarishealthcare.com) has developed an in-home communication device, namely Claris Companion, designed for seniors to keep them connected with family and home care providers. They offer a device designed to be easy to use and to help seniors stay on top of managing their health. Their design allows the family member to display notifications on the device screen and then receive feedback in the form of wellness scores and alerts to know how their loved one is doing without having to phone them every day or check in repeatedly. The current deployment of the Claris Companion requires the senior access the device on fixed stand (usually on a shelf or a table) or to physically hold the device. The proposed research and development is to study and design methods and approaches where the Claris Companion device can be mounted on a mobile platform that the senior or the family member is able to move around in the dwelling. The approach will be carried in two concurrent phases. One phase is concerned with the acceptance of a motorized mobile platform in the home based on a non-threatening and non-intrusive design. The next phase will involve the integration of the required hardware and software with the chosen mobile platform design which can satisfy the minimum tele-control connectivity requirements and seamless integration of the existing Claris Companion user interface.