WanderGuardian: A Mobile App to Mitigate Spread of COVID-19 from Wanderers
A Project Funded by Alliance of Chinese Americans San Diego
Edmund Sumpena
Background
Wandering among people with dementia or developmentally disabled children is a serious problem; it can lead to serious injury or fatality. This group includes patients of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism, Down syndrome, or other neurological disorders involving memory loss. The problem is further magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, where wandering can worsen the spread of the virus.
According to the Los Angeles Times*, the eldercare facility has become a tragic focal point of the COVID-19 outbreak; nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths in California are linked to the eldercare facility. I recently conducted market surveys with assisted living facilities in San Diego, such as Home Care Assistance (in La Jolla), ActivCare Living, and Westminster Manor Senior Apartment. Each facility houses over 50 dementia patients who are susceptible to wandering. Due to high residence occupancy in the eldercare facility, social distancing and interaction among caretakers and patients is challenging. To minimize the risk of contracting the disease, many family members of the residents opted to check them out of the facility and care for them at home.
A home environment, unlike memory care facilities, lack the necessary elderly care technology, resulting in an elevated risk of outdoor wandering. By being outdoors, wanderers are not socially distancing, putting themselves and surrounding people at risk of developing or spreading COVID-19, as some may be asymptomatic.
To mitigate the wandering-related spread of the virus, I have developed a cost-effective, indoor-compatible, high-sensitivity, and privacy-protecting mobile Geofencing technology to complement existing solutions. The app, WanderGuardian, serves as an early warning system. A caretaker or family member can set up a predefined safe zone and remotely determine when a patient is within this area. If the patient wanders outside the safe zone, the app will notify the caretaker within seconds. This way, caretakers or family members can prevent possible accidents and limit the spread of COVID-19 by wanderers in the local community.
*Los Angeles Times Article: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-08/california-coronavirus-deaths-nearly-half-linked-to-elder-care-facilities?utm_source=sfmc_100035609&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=25259+Today%27s+Headlines+5%2f28%2f2020&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.latimes.com%2fcalifornia%2fstory%2f2020-05-08%2fcalifornia-coronavirus-deaths-nearly-half-linked-to-elder-care-facilities&utm_id=7469&sfmc_id=299825
Wandering among people with dementia or developmentally disabled children is a serious problem; it can lead to serious injury or fatality. This group includes patients of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism, Down syndrome, or other neurological disorders involving memory loss. The problem is further magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, where wandering can worsen the spread of the virus.
According to the Los Angeles Times*, the eldercare facility has become a tragic focal point of the COVID-19 outbreak; nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths in California are linked to the eldercare facility. I recently conducted market surveys with assisted living facilities in San Diego, such as Home Care Assistance (in La Jolla), ActivCare Living, and Westminster Manor Senior Apartment. Each facility houses over 50 dementia patients who are susceptible to wandering. Due to high residence occupancy in the eldercare facility, social distancing and interaction among caretakers and patients is challenging. To minimize the risk of contracting the disease, many family members of the residents opted to check them out of the facility and care for them at home.
A home environment, unlike memory care facilities, lack the necessary elderly care technology, resulting in an elevated risk of outdoor wandering. By being outdoors, wanderers are not socially distancing, putting themselves and surrounding people at risk of developing or spreading COVID-19, as some may be asymptomatic.
To mitigate the wandering-related spread of the virus, I have developed a cost-effective, indoor-compatible, high-sensitivity, and privacy-protecting mobile Geofencing technology to complement existing solutions. The app, WanderGuardian, serves as an early warning system. A caretaker or family member can set up a predefined safe zone and remotely determine when a patient is within this area. If the patient wanders outside the safe zone, the app will notify the caretaker within seconds. This way, caretakers or family members can prevent possible accidents and limit the spread of COVID-19 by wanderers in the local community.
*Los Angeles Times Article: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-08/california-coronavirus-deaths-nearly-half-linked-to-elder-care-facilities?utm_source=sfmc_100035609&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=25259+Today%27s+Headlines+5%2f28%2f2020&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.latimes.com%2fcalifornia%2fstory%2f2020-05-08%2fcalifornia-coronavirus-deaths-nearly-half-linked-to-elder-care-facilities&utm_id=7469&sfmc_id=299825
Goal
This mobile app’s goal is to limit wandering-related transmission of COVID-19 as well as to raise public awareness about the potential dangers of wandering. I also hope this technology will ease the burden of families who are caring for dementia patients, as well as developmentally disabled children at home during pandemic. For my next phase, I will be implementing Bluetooth beacons, which cost $20 each. In the situation when a wanderer forgets to bring their phone, these pocket-sized devices will allow WanderGuardian to detect when the user is in the vicinity of their mobile device. If the wanderer is too far away from their phone, the caregiver is alerted. It will be complete by end of June.
This mobile app’s goal is to limit wandering-related transmission of COVID-19 as well as to raise public awareness about the potential dangers of wandering. I also hope this technology will ease the burden of families who are caring for dementia patients, as well as developmentally disabled children at home during pandemic. For my next phase, I will be implementing Bluetooth beacons, which cost $20 each. In the situation when a wanderer forgets to bring their phone, these pocket-sized devices will allow WanderGuardian to detect when the user is in the vicinity of their mobile device. If the wanderer is too far away from their phone, the caregiver is alerted. It will be complete by end of June.
Method
1. Interviewed elderly care facilities to better understand the challenges of wandering and how COVID-19 has impacted them.
2. Researched machine learning technique for safe zone detection. Built a test app to collect sensor data and test the machine learning algorithm. Continued to improve the algorithm’s accuracy by adjusting training time, adding calibration features, editing constants and calculations.
3. Improved user interface (UI) and debugged.
4. Tested the application: collected data on the algorithm’s accuracy, improved user-friendliness, and received feedback.
1. Interviewed elderly care facilities to better understand the challenges of wandering and how COVID-19 has impacted them.
2. Researched machine learning technique for safe zone detection. Built a test app to collect sensor data and test the machine learning algorithm. Continued to improve the algorithm’s accuracy by adjusting training time, adding calibration features, editing constants and calculations.
3. Improved user interface (UI) and debugged.
4. Tested the application: collected data on the algorithm’s accuracy, improved user-friendliness, and received feedback.