The population of Hong Kong is aging and dementia is becoming more common. Patients' lives and their ability to take care of themselves will be greatly affected. Earlier investigations found that more than 30,000 people with dementia had lost their lives.
Recently, KMB has added a Bluetooth positioning device "Angel Box" to five large bus stops in Hong Kong. As long as they wear a special electronic device, if a patient with dementia passes by the bus stop when he is lost, family members and citizens can use their mobile phones. The program grasps its location, and through the search network established with technology, it is hoped that in the future, it can help the lost to return home as soon as possible.
The public will see tracing posts on social networks from time to time. When looking for missing elderly people with dementia, most of the caregivers will go out in person or call the police for help, but these methods rely on the public to recognize the missing people with naked eyes.
The Jockey Club "Youli Tracking" community project combines the power of community networks and technology to provide substantial support to relatives with dementia. Recently, they launched the first batch of "Angel Boxes". The trial locations include the Shatin City Centre Bus Terminal and Tuen Mun City. Central Terminus, Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Terminal Bus Terminus and Tuen Mun Highway Interchange Station (to Tuen Mun and to Kowloon direction).
The more people use the detection location, the more accurate it is
The technology is developed by the team of Professor Chen Shuangxing from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and is especially suitable for places with high population density, such as downtown Hong Kong.
Once a person with dementia wearing the "Guardian Track" device is lost, the caregiver can use the "Youli Track" App to report the loss. The device on the lost person will send a Bluetooth signal to the "Angel Box" or citizens who have downloaded the app User detection can infer the location of the lost person; the more "angel boxes" and more people use the app, the more accurate the detected location will be.
(From left) Professor Guo Zhirui, Director of Jockey Club Senior Citizens Park, KMB Assistant Director (Communications) Lin Zihao, and Professor Chen Shuangxing, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
(Photo by Lu Nuojun)
When it comes to privacy issues, Professor Chen Shuangxing said that the signal and location data will be uploaded to the server anonymously, and the entire system has passed the privacy impact assessment and security risk assessment and audit; he also pointed out that the team has always hoped to put the device on Fix the place to make the Bluetooth signal more stable, and hope that there will be more places to install "angel boxes" in the future.
The device can not be charged for one year
Professor Guo Zhirui, director of the Jockey Club Senior Citizens Park, pointed out that although there are different products on the market for detecting location, the biggest problem is that the elderly with dementia will "don't remember to wear", and the "guard track" device can be put on the Octopus. Inside the bag, crutches or wallet, and don’t need to charge for one year.
He also pointed out that there are currently 25,000 users who have downloaded the mobile app, and he hopes to continue to work with citizens and companies to build a caring and friendly community.
KMB Assistant Director (Communications) Lin Zihao said that about 20% of the people KMB serves daily are elderly people. In the past, many demented elderly people would take buses. He also estimated that as the population ages, the proportion of elderly passengers will increase. Keep improving.
Lin pointed out that he hopes to build a friendly community for the elderly through the plan. "I hope to encourage the elderly with dementia, even if they have mild symptoms, they can be more social and social, which will help the disease." He believes that the addition of " "Angel Box" is helpful to find the lost elderly, and the number of "Angel Box" will be gradually increased in the future.
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