Wandering Path Visualization System Prototype for Finding Wandering Elderly People Using BLE Beacon

Abstract

In this study, we focused on wandering behavior, which is one of symptoms of dementia patients, and developed a system for watching over such patients. In our proposed method, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons were carried by elderly people with dementia. We installed fixed receivers in the town where we conducted this study. We visualized the wandering route by using the reception history of the BLE beacon that can be acquired from the fixed receiver. In this paper, we aimed to develop an interface that enables us to check the history of actions to narrow down the search range when an elderly person with dementia is missing. Also, by using this interface, his/her family and caregivers can check that an elderly person with dementia is in a safe place. Particularly, (1) because the signal range of the BLE beacon has been improved, it became possible for some fixed receivers to receive signal, and this solved the problem of detecting an elderly person with dementia in the vicinity. Furthermore, (2) merely displaying the shortest route is insufficient for the purpose of searching for a wandering route, and it was necessary to be able to display detour routes. To deal with these two problems, we developed a method to acquire only the reception history of the BLE beacon that is considered necessary for route visualization.