Dynamic Bayesian networks for context-aware fall risk assessment

Sensors (Basel). 2014 May 23;14(5):9330-48. doi: 10.3390/s140509330.

Abstract

Fall incidents among the elderly often occur in the home and can cause serious injuries affecting their independent living. This paper presents an approach where data from wearable sensors integrated in a smart home environment is combined using a dynamic Bayesian network. The smart home environment provides contextual data, obtained from environmental sensors, and contributes to assessing a fall risk probability. The evaluation of the developed system is performed through simulation. Each time step is represented by a single user activity and interacts with a fall sensors located on a mobile device. A posterior probability is calculated for each recognized activity or contextual information. The output of the system provides a total risk assessment of falling given a response from the fall sensor.

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls / prevention & control*
  • Actigraphy / instrumentation*
  • Actigraphy / methods
  • Algorithms
  • Bayes Theorem*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Humans
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation*
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / methods
  • Neural Networks, Computer*
  • Pattern Recognition, Automated / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Risk Assessment / methods*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity