Sensor systems for monitoring functional status in assisted living facility residents

This article provides results of an expert review of data displays for a sensor system used to monitor functional abilities in older adults. The research took place at TigerPlace, an assisted living facility where the sensor system is currently being evaluated. A checklist of 16 heuristic criteria was used to evaluate the sensor data displays, with consideration to the users of the system: residents, their families, and health care providers. Results of this expert review indicate that flexibility and efficiency of use, help and documentation, navigation, and skills were not well developed in the sensor data displays. Conversely, sensor data displays were rated highly for their aesthetic value and the ample visual contrast on the main display components. Through the use of a sensor system, new ways of detecting functional decline in elderly residents of assisted living facilities can be accomplished.