A tool that facilitates support for caregivers

Researchers at the Computer Vision Centre, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the University of Barcelona and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, together with the company Acceplan, have created an intelligent monitoring system particularly addressed to caregivers. It is a device based on computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies that captures images of people with chronic illness and disabilities, analyses their situation and posture and, if it perceives any risk situation, warns caregivers by means of an app.

The main objective of the system, named Care Respite, is to improve caregivers’ quality of life. According to data provided by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia, there are 1,300,000 Catalans aged over 65; 250,000 of them suffer a chronic illness or disability, but 28,000 of them do not receive any kind of support. Moreover, there are 80,000 non-professional caregivers who spend between 6 and 8 hours per day providing care for a family member and 50,000 caregivers spend between 1 and 5 hours per day. Generally, patients and caregivers are family members, so caring tasks usually involve emotional and physical loads. “emotional and physical loads that can damage health. In this sense, “Care Respite allows caregivers providing better care and improves their quality of life”, affirms Sergio Escalera, researcher at the Computer Vision Centre and at the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Barcelona. “Precisely —he adds—, the aim of Care Respite is to support caregivers and giving them have some free time to rest and do other things”.

To fulfil this aim, Care Respite includes a camera able to capture day and night images as well as microphones and speakers that capture sound and allow patient-caregiver communication. Caregivers have at their disposal an app that warns them in risk situations, for example if a fall or any strange movement is detected. In addition, it also warns them when Internet connection fails or there is not electricity, and the system gets inactive.

Xavier Baró, researcher at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, explains: “Nowadays, most common alert systems are based on emergency push-buttons and phone monitoring protocols. The first one requires that the person who has suffered the accident press the button and he/she must carry the device always with him/her. In the second case, development time is usually long, so the accident may have worse consequences. On the contrary, Care Respite is a low-cost tool that allows non-invasive monitoring and works in light-darkness conditions. In addition, the device allows preserving people’s intimacy, as it only shows their silhouette”.

The project, born during a Laboratory of Ideas organized by the UAB Research Park, has been recently selected by the programme CaixaImpulse, an initiative of Obra Social La Caixa that promotes scientific knowledge transfer to companies to create health sciences products with a positive impact on the society. The prize will support the development of the company with 50,000 euros, tailor-made training and guidance.