AI-based Assistive & Passive Technology for non-Invasive Elderly care (ADAPTIVE)

miiCARE Ltd aims to develop a non-wearable assisted living healthcare solution through the ADAPTIVE project, incorporating novel AI-based machine learning capability to learn about the acoustic characteristics of elderly subjects' footsteps in order to predict the likelihood of falls, the changes in postures relating to other health conditions or the progression of cognitive issues such as Dementia. The solution is specifically developed to address an unmet need among People Living With Dementia (PLWD). Existing technologies for ambient assisted living are not designed specifically for dementia and require users with dementia to adapt to the technology by wearing devices that indicate falls (after they have happened). ADAPTIVE extends miiCARE's innovative IoT solution (miiCUBE) and uses emerging techniques in acoustic events detection to predict fall risks among PLWD, enabling preventative measures to be taken early and prevent escalation. This is the first time such technology is being used to improve the quality of life of PLWD within their own homes. miiCUBE's feasibility has been proven through trials with elderly households (not with dementia) across Kent, demonstrating several successful use cases.

The ADAPTIVE project will give miiCUBE audio monitoring capabilities by developing novel AI to specifically assess fall risk and monitor other distressful behaviours in PLWD that would help improve the delivery of dementia care as a whole. Initial trials will be conducted on a mix of 50 elderly people with and without dementia in the Bristol communities. Following initial trials and iterations, ADAPTIVE will be deployed in the Dover Harmonia Village, a controlled environment with 30 residents with dementia, which aims to make use of telecare solutions for residents' benefit. East Kent Hospital NHS Trust will manage the trial in a multi person environment at the Harmonia Village and provide clinical input, yielding further data to train our AI algorithms. The qualitative and quantitative data analysis will be undertaken by the University of Kent to determine clinical and functional outcomes of the project.

ADAPTIVE will enable people with dementia to remain in the comfortable, safe environment of their own homes, whilst giving peace of mind to carers and families and improving safety in care environments by reducing unnecessary alarm calls and supporting a new care model respectively. It aims to reduce the £26.3bn cost of Dementia to the UK economy (£8.8bn of this is combined state social and health care costs), as well as cost of dementia-related falls to the NHS.