An intelligent videomonitoring system for fall detection at home: perceptions of elderly people

Sophie Turgeon Londei ^*  ,
Jacqueline Rousseau ^* ,
Francine Ducharme  ,
Alain St-Arnaud ,
Jean Meunier ^**,
Jocelyne Saint-Arnaud   and
Francine Giroux 

^* École de réadaptation, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec;
Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec;
Faculté des sciences infirmières, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec;
CSSS Lucille-Teasdale, Montreal, Quebec;
^** Département d’informatique et de recherche opérationnelle, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada


Correspondence: Sophie Turgeon Londei, Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal, 4545 chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal, Québec H3W 1W5, Canada (Fax: +1 514 340-3548; Email: sophie.turgeon.londei{at}umontreal.ca)

We explored the perception and receptivity of elderly peopleregarding the introduction of an intelligent videomonitoringsystem (IVS) at home. Using a mixed methods design, 25 elderlypeople with a history of falls completed a structured interview(two questionnaires). In the year preceding the interview, 72%of the participants fell as many as seven times. Open-endedquestions (qualitative data) were used to supplement the quantitativedata. A content analysis (qualitative data) and a descriptiveanalysis (quantitative data) were carried out. The participantswere 84% favourable or partially favourable to technologieswhich ensured home security and 96% favourable or partiallyfavourable to the IVS. About half (48%) said that they woulduse it. The other participants did not wish to use it unlessthey had been left to live alone or if their health conditionworsened. Thus the living conditions of the elderly appear toinfluence their perception and receptivity regarding the acceptanceand use of an IVS.

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