top of page

MimoCare case study

 

MimoCare asked us to take the data from their home-based sensors to enable their customers (domiciliary care providers) to:

  • prepare personalised care schedules

  • receive a text message if urgent help is required

  • ensure that care visits offer maximum support

We are working with a range of partners to deliver our vision of a Connected Future where we can use technology to create a smarter safer world for elderly and vulnerable people.

 

Our Cascade3d Online platform is an incredibly powerful tool, enabling us to bring together the data from home-based sensors and wearable tech and provide detailed insight to care professionals, emergency services, GPs and families.

 

We have also created a range of FlexiForms for care professionals.  You can use electronic, interactive forms to create care plans, monitor patient information, monitor care home or surgery equipment and so on.

Medical needs that MimoCare can help with:

 

  • Movement sensors in the bed and living room chairs indicate whether people are moving – a good indication if there is a risk of thrombosis, ulcers, bed sores or circulation issues

  • Room sensors showing that there is movement at night and little movement during the day - disruption to sleeping patterns, possible disorientation and confusion

  • Interrupted sleep and unusually high frequency of visits to the bathroom – possible urinary tract infection or anxiety

"Advantech UTX-3115, running the Intel® Atom Dual Core processor provides the power behind the edge analytics platform."

What we did:

 

Data from sensors placed around the homes of elderly and vulnerable people stream data directly into our cloud-based analytics platform.  

 

Information about activity patterns is provided to care providers and clinicians, giving them invaluable insights into the health of the people in their care.

 

The platform builds up a database of lifestyle information without invading privacy.  For example, movement sensors in the bed show sleeping patterns and sensors on the cooker hob and fridge door show when food and drinks are being prepared.

 

Tiny packets of data are streamed across a low power ZigBee mesh network to the Intel based intelligent gateway. The analytics engine developed by Cascade3d trawls the data, learning typical habits and creating a dashboard of information.

 

‘Edge analytics’ runs locally in the home, making decisions about whether to send a text message alert if activity doesn’t look normal.

:

  •  

Personalised technology – the system builds up a wellbeing profile that is unique to the individual user

 

Smart alerts – if there is an unexpected change in behaviour a text message will be sent out immediately

 

Unobtrusive – the sensors are small and blend into the background

 

 

Data from multiple homes can be aggregated and used to detect changing patterns of behaviour, determine current and future care needs, and guide strategic planning.

 

The data can be accessed in an anonymised format to ensure complete privacy.

"Data from multiple homes can be aggregated and used to guide strategic planning"

“I’m so glad that we are able to stay at home together."

MimoCare is different.  It uses analytics to identify normal patterns of behaviour and sends you an alert if anything happens that doesn't look right.  There's no need to rely on pendants and alarms, the system will let you know if there's a problem even if your loved one can't.

 

Arnold, now in his late 80’s, is the fulltime carer for his wife Mavis, 86 who has very little mobility and failing eyesight.  The family becoming increasingly concerned that should anything happen to Arnold, both would need to be taken into a care home.  Their daughter lives nearby but with a fulltime job is unable to look in on them regularly to ensure they have not had any difficulties, especially overnight.

 

 

Arnold and Mavis would like to:

  • be together in their own home

  • maintain independence for as long as possible

  • know that support would be available when they needed it

 

The family needs:

  • peace of mind that they were both safe and secure

  • reassurance that Arnold was coping with being the main caregiver

  • to know straightaway if urgent help was required

  • to ensure that external care visits were timed to offer maximum support

 

 

The solution:

The family was introduced to MimoCare and after sensitive conversations with Arnold and Mavis to reassure them of complete privacy, the sensor support system was installed in April 2014.

 

Almost immediately the system identified issues that weren’t previously obvious to the family.  For example, the fridge was often running at unsafe temperatures for food that was being consumed a couple of weeks after the ‘best before’ date.  Simply setting the thermostat low enough and monitoring the temperature made the situation safer. 

 

The family could see that the fridge was being accessed at regular intervals for meals and drinks.  They could also check that the cooker hob hadn't been left on and monitor room temperatures making sure that Arnold and Mavis were staying warm and there weren't any problems with the heating system.

 

Benefits:

  • Reliable – with long battery life, the sensors can easily be moved to new locations without any loss of performance (for example, Mavis’s bed sensor was relocated when an adjustable hospital bed was installed in their home). 

  • Quick to install - it's easy to set up and install the system

  • Personal – the system builds up a unique personal profile and you can set the alerts to address particular needs

  • Alerts – if there is a sudden change in behaviour or no activity between expected times, an alert will be triggered

  • Unobtrusive – the sensors are small and blend into the background.

 

The results:

The family received text messages any time the readings in their parents’ home deviated from expected patterns.  This meant they could ring or call in if they were worried about any of the readings.  For example, the room temperature monitors indicated that temperatures were falling rapidly, showing the family that the central heating system was broken.

 

 

Their son Ben said “it’s reassuring to be able to keep an eye on Mum and Dad when I can’t be there.  The data coming in from the sensors has been used to build up a picture of what’s normal for them so they don’t feel that we’re interfering but it gives them the reassurance that help will be there if they need it.” 

 

Probably the best endorsement comes from the couple themselves.  Arnold said “I was worried that the system would be intrusive but actually I don’t even notice the little MimoCare boxes.  It is reassuring to know that if anything happens to me, the family will know and be able to call someone to help Mavis.”  

 

Mavis said “I’m so glad that we are able to stay at home together and I know that the family is much happier now that system is in place.”

 

If you would like more information about MimoCare products and services and the Cascade3d analytics behind them, please contact us.

 

“it’s reassuring to be able to keep an eye on Mum and Dad when I can’t be there."

bottom of page