10PERVASIVEcomputing1536-1268/02/$17.00 © 2002 IEEEAs an example of an early applica-tion that puts pervasive comput-ing technologies directly in the serv-ice of improved quality of life for theelderly and that is “gracefully inte-grated with human users,” this inau-gural installment looks at the assistedliving complex constructed by EliteCare (www. elite-care.com). By build-ing pervasive computing into the envi-ronment, Elite Care’s Oatfield EstatesCluster (Milwaukie, Oregon) givesresidents as much autonomy and evenresponsibility for themselves and theirenvironment as possible. The com-pany focuses on creating a personal-ized environment that avoids the tra-ditional institutional care model usedin nursing homes for the elderly whocan no longer live unassisted. From the physical setting (see Figure1), to the language used to set expecta-tions, to the pervasive computing envi-ronment, everything about the envi-ronment is arranged to serve this goal.Elite Care based the residential setting’slayout on an apartment complex ratherthan a hospital with its hallways androoms. By using a social care modelthat has the staff making house callsrather than doctors making rounds, theresidents continue to live as normallyas they can. In this scheme, pervasivesensors and staff assist residents inmaintaining their independence, offer-ing assistance as necessary and usingpervasive sensors to monitor vital signsand health indicators. DEVELOPING THETECHNOLOGYFounders Bill Reed and Lydia Lund-berg established Elite Care to improvehousing and health care for the elderly,evolving the project from their researchon elder-care facilities and issues sur-rounding aging. Experience with theirown aging parents helped motivatetheir efforts. Elite Care, a small, fam-ily-owned business, developed allaspects of the technology, includingconstruction, care giving, and pervasivecomputing, without venture fundingand on a limited budget. Design goalsincluded low-cost integration of tech-nologies, unobtrusiveness, and an elder-friendly software interface. The com-pany’s advisory committee includedrepresentatives from the Mayo Clinic,Harvard University, Providence HealthSystem, Intel, University of Michigan,University of Wisconsin, OregonHealth Sciences University, EindhovenUniversity of Technology, and SandiaNational Laboratory.Six primary stakeholder groups atElite Care, each with its own set ofneeds and responsibilities, use the com-puting environments:• The elderly residents• Families of the residents • Physicians and health care providers • Staff caregivers • The Elite Care management teamthat monitors the staff and residents • A community of researchers who areUsing Pervasive Computingto Deliver Elder CareVince StanfordEditor: Vince Stanford ■ [email protected], our Editor in Chief, has characterized pervasive computing as “the creation of envi-ronments saturated with computing and wireless communication, yet gracefully integratedwith human users.” While very much to the point, this high-level statement covers a lot ofground. Many constituent technologies must come together to transform it from dream tousable and productive reality. Barriers to wider deployment abound, especially in physical and network security, authenti-cation, wireless bandwidth management, multiresolution data rendering, distributed multide-vice interfaces, and multimodal user input modes, including speech and pen—problemsenough to keep the available engineering talent in the IEEE Computer Society busy for yearsto come, it would seem. In each issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing, this column will address basic pervasive technicalissues in light of case studies of deployed pervasive systems. We’ll also explore significantissues that block organizations from deploying pervasive computing applications. Contact meif you have suggestions for future installments. —Vince StanfordEDITOR’S INTROJANUARY–MARCH 2002PERVASIVEcomputing11engaged in determining how to bestuse the pervasive computing envi-ronment to improve the quality andefficiency of care delivery.The facility’s networked sensors letstaff identify residents who might needimmediate care. Databases that moni-tor trends over time also reduce stresson staff members who must track thedetails of vital signs and medication sta-tus in delivering quality care. These sen-sors and databases also help residentsintegrate into the cluster’s social en-vironment. The environment includesactuators that can respond to the activ-ities and whereabouts of residents,lighting the way to the bathroom ifsomeone gets out of bed late at nightand recording the period of wakeful-ness for the staff to interpret later, forexample.FRONT-LINE DELIVERYAccording to Connie Easter, the clus-ter’s general manager, pervasive com-puting technologies help her staff pro-vide enhanced residential care in avariety of ways. Easter, who managesthe day-to-day delivery of care to theseniors, points especially to the positiveimpact pervasive computing has had onher staff’s ability to respond to the sen-iors’ care needs (see the “Locator Sys-tem Resolves a Crisis” sidebar).In particular, the sensors and perva-sive computing infrastructure help staffidentify when seniors actually needassistance, such as when one becomesdisoriented and starts to wonder offcampus or is experiencing an unusuallyrestless or wakeful night. This way, staffcan concentrate their efforts where theyare needed, and the resulting customcare delivery lets the company avoidregimenting the residents according toinstitutional needs while allocatingcaregiver resources efficiently. Inte-grated databases relieve caregivers fromextensive manual record keeping, let-ting them concentrate on person-to-person care delivery, thus increasingoverall efficiency. The sensors and infrastructure alsoallow easy trend monitoring for each res-ident, according to Easter. For example,if a resident’s blood pressure or weightchanges, the resident’s physician mightneed to be called. The same databaseslet the staff clearly communicate with theresident’s adult children about changesFigure 1. Gardens of the Oatfield residential cluster with pervasive but unobtrusivesensors.As an example of the type of advantage pervasive computing technologies can offer in anelder care setting, Elite Care’s Connie Easter cites a case of a resident with early Alzheimer’swho was becoming disoriented at times and
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