According to a recent survey conducted by the UN, the population of elderly people will increase to a large extent by the year 2020. People 65+ represented 12.4% of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow by 19% by 2030. Also, the population of elderly staying alone at home is increasing day by day. Elder health care which is already an issue is going to get complex in the future. Many elderly who want to spend their time at home are trying for products that can easily monitor their health status. Such a system which could monitor health parameters and aid intelligent decisions depending on the situation would also be a great relief to many children who are worried about their aged parents and who could not be physically present near them at all times.

The proposed intelligent system, HOPE, continuously monitors health parameters like blood pressure, temperature, ECG, pulse rate, oxygen content in blood. Any tilt/fall of the elder is also detected. The tilt detection, along with other health parameters, is very helpful for bed ridden elders. All parameter measurements are done non-invasively so that the gadget is the perfect option for continuous monitoring. The measured parameters are sent to a mobile phone via Bluetooth, in which the Android application monitors these parameters to predict critical situations. In any critical situation HOPE will notify the caretaker so that assistance is provided to elders immediately. A database is created to study the past variations of the parameters. A one-touch video call setup is also included which can be used at the time of emergency.The caretaker includes relatives, doctors and health care providers.

In 2009, at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there was a first-ever exhibit devoted to technology aimed at the elderly, their adult children and their medical providers. A study by IBM in 2011 revealed that one of the health gadgets of future requirement is for the elderly. Intel-GE’s Care Innovations is aimed at promoting research activities and providing solutions to senior living and healthcare. Intel-GE’s Care Innovations Connect keeps seniors stay connected via daily check-ins, customized content such as wellness survey, community info etc. The bestmedicaldirect.com provides range of products, each one monitoring a particular health parameter but not as a system which monitors continuously several parameters. The Tunstall’s ‘mymedic’ health monitor, signals the patient when it is time for the patient to take their vital sign. HOPE is exclusively designed for elders, taking into account their comfort, easy of use, cost etc. It monitors several vital parameters continuously and also takes intelligent decisions in handling critical situations.

The Portable Oximeter and Heart Rate Monitor at the bestmedicaldirect.com costs USD 209.99 and a digital wrist BP monitor costs USD 48.00. With the business establishment expected to be setup to manufacture HOPE in India, the entire system should cost less than USD 300.00. We would like to approach companies like Intel, Philips, Siemens, Omron etc. who could help us to manufacture HOPE.