Smart sensors used to detect cognitive decline in seniors who live alone

Study looks into using the technology to help seniors age better in the community

- Joyce Teo

Ms Julie Chia lives alone in a flat in Tampines and keeps herself active despite her advanced age.

The 97-year-old feels secure each time she heads out, whether it is to the Lions Befrienders (LB) Active Ageing Centre at her void deck to play Rummy-O with her friends or nearby to buy the newspaper and her dinner.

The sprightly woman is among more than 200 seniors living alone who have been recruited since 2020 for a longitudinal study looking into using smart sensor technology to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - a condition that increases one's risk of developing dementia - in order to respond to it early. This will help seniors to age better and remain for longer in the community.

"With this (beacon sensor) on my keychain, I know that whenever I go out, someone knows. I feel more relieved," said Ms Chia.

What the researchers have gathered from the second phase of the study, with sensor data collected from 63 seniors living alone, is that the machine learning-based prediction technology is able to detect MCI at a 90 per cent accuracy rate.

This is an improvement from the previous performance of 70 per cent obtained in the first phase of the study in 2020.

The data for the study is generated by eight sensors placed in different parts of the participants' homes, such as the living room, under the mattress, inside their medicine box or cabinet, and on the door.

A sensor resembling a tag is also attached to their keychain to help track whether the senior participants have their keys with them when they go out.

Additionally, the seniors are given a wearable device to measure their daily steps and heart rate.

In Ms Chia's case, the sensors were installed at her home in April 2021.