Grants and Contributions:

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Title:

Finding Lost and Mentally Impaired Patients Through Smart Devices and Algorithms

Agreement Number:

EGP

Agreement Value:

$25,000.00

Agreement Date:

Mar 7, 2018 -

Organization:

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Location:

Ontario, CA

Reference Number:

GC-2017-Q4-00573

Agreement Type:

Grant

Report Type:

Grants and Contributions

Additional Information:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

Recipient's Legal Name:

Ferworn, Alexander (Ryerson University)

Program:

Engage Grants for universities

Program Purpose:

As Canada's population ages its population becomes more vulnerable to cognitive impairment caused byx000D
various forms of dementia where wandering, becoming lost and communications with other becomesx000D
challenging. As the impairment becomes more acute, citizens become patients within extended care facilitiesx000D
(ECF). A growing problem is how to determine the physical location of patients who have eloped from thex000D
immediate grounds of an ECF. While steps are taken to provide secure facilities, mistakes dox000D
happen--potentially leading to the injury or death of the patient. Mobile technologies such as smartphones andx000D
smartwatches are ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive. These technologies may serve as effective solutions tox000D
monitor patient whereabouts without undue intrusion.x000D
We propose an end-to-end system framework to monitor and log the physical location of patients using sensorsx000D
in mobile devices. To our knowledge, this framework is unique, as it will provide a live feed of the currentx000D
location of lost patients to authorized caregivers. The proposed system consists of mobile applications thatx000D
routinely provide telemetry to a server where the information will be stored and analyzed. Furthermore, thex000D
system will alert responsible personnel should a patient being monitored go outside of the specified "safe area".x000D
This technology is directly applicable to care facilities where constant monitoring is not possible due to limitedx000D
resources. We envision this technology will allow certain cognitively impaired individuals to remain at homex000D
longer while reducing the stress of family caregiver concerned about their whereabouts. By using this system,x000D
the economic cost and emotional stress caused by wandering behavior will be reduced. LocateMotion will seekx000D
to bring to market the innovative end-to-end technology to be developed in this proposal--bringing "peace ofx000D
mind" to participating care givers.