Safeguard system using distribution line and telecommunication network for controlling aimless behavior in senile elderly patients

This is a successive study of the development and application of an electronic safeguard system for elderly men (senile dementia patients) who wander without purpose because of declined mental capability, while retaining their physical ability. The new safeguard system is designed with some additional functions on the basis of the previously developed system. Firstly, alarms are designed not to disturb other patients at night, so that informations about doors from which the patients go out may be transmitted to helpers individually by radio paging system. Secondly, the system hardware can be set up anywhere without laying particular signal transmission cables, provided that there exist AC power distribution lines for the utilization as a transmission line of signals to alarm indicators. Thirdly, it is possible to have a grasp of the whole states of the safeguard systems at the center of operation by monitoring the operational state of each system with a necessary data acquisition according to its instruction through telecommunication network. Thus, each safeguard system can be economically supplied to the special nursing homes and the helpers are ensured more released from physical and psychological burdens so that they can devote themselves to the care of senile elderly men, thereby improving their patients' comfort and human dignity.