CareMedia provides automated video and sensor analysis for geriatric care. Through activity and environmental monitoring in a skilled nursing facility, a continuous, voluminous audio and video record is captured. Through work in information extraction, behavior analysis and synthesis, this record is transformed into an information asset whose efficient, secure presentation empowers geriatric care specialists with greater insights into problems, effectiveness of treatments, and determination of environmental and social influences. CareMedia allows the behavior of senile dementia patients to be more accurately interpreted through intelligent browsing tools and filtered audiovisual evidence, leading to treatment that reduces agitation while allowing awareness and responsiveness. The research begins with disruptive vocalization, a particular behavior noted across senile dementia assessment scales. The coverage is then broadened ambitiously to integrate sensor and visual data for behavioral analysis and summarization in support of OBRA regulations requiring behavior management strategies that are not just chemical restraints. This effort includes automatic techniques to recognize disruptive vocalizations, more complex behavioral occurrences such as falls or physical aggression, and circadian patterns of activity. This research builds on key Carnegie Mellon research efforts in digital video analysis, wearable mobile computers, computer-based vision systems, and information retrieval systems for multimedia metadata.
