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2005 Grant - Wactlar

Machine Video and Audio Understanding for Monitoring Dementia Behavior

Howard D. Wactlar, M.S.
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2005 Everyday Technologies for Alzheimer's Care

Monitoring people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia is essential for evaluating how disease progression or treatment affects qualify of life. However, in a nursing home setting, observations are often inadequate and may suffer from too much subjectivity.

Howard D. Wactlar, B.S., M.S., and colleagues will evaluate whether auto-matic video and audio monitoring of people with dementia improves quality-of-life assessments. The researchers propose that by placing cameras in key locations, particularly commonly used areas, a more complete observational record can be obtained.

The researchers will examine if computer software can obtain sufficient information from video and audio coverage of various behaviors to make quality-of-life assessments more accurate and reliable. Mobility, eating behavior, social interactions and physical ability are some of the behaviors that might be most informative. They also plan to test if such an automated system can highlight particular triggers that lead to or interventions that prevent certain behaviors. An automated system might also pinpoint particular issues that are optimal for measuring quality of life.

By helping standardize and improve how quality of life is measured, this technology could have a significant impact on the care of people with Alzheimer's or other dementias who live in long-term care settings.