Sit to Stand Transfer Data Collection

Description:

Reference #: 00770

Background:

Health care needs and costs are estimated to rise in parallel with the rapidly growing aging population. When an older adult becomes dependent or disabled, family and health care providers experience significant financial, personal, and emotional burdens. Using indicators to predict approaching disabilities in older adults will allow for intervention and prevention, thereby reducing the burdens and costs associated with adult dependency. For instance, the capacity to stand up from a chair is an indicator of physical motor capabilities for older adults.

Invention Description:

Dr. Hirth proposes to monitor the changes in sit-to-stand transfer to detect specific patterns that help predict loss of physical motor function. By using sensor technology, placed on or under an upright chair, data can be collected and analyzed to reveal an approaching disability. A small piece of film, embedded with software sensor technology that detects movement, is positioned under the bottom of the front two legs of the chair or in the seat of the chair. The film transmits data that provides information on the pressure distribution and changes in this distribution. Analyzing the distribution of pressure, predictions can be made for the person's functional power in the legs, as well as balance and stability. This system will allow for an unobtrusive assessment, providing information about fall risk and balance problems, and it can be placed conveniently and undetectably in any environment. All data will be aggregated across time to determine a normal status for the patient, allowing a system alert if the data indicates a decline from the norm in sit-to-stand transfer parameters. Analysis of the data may provide information that will lead to direct therapy and intervention for what would otherwise be an unidentified problem.

Potential Applications:

Dr. Hirth’s sit-to-stand date transfer collection is a technology that can help predict imminent physical motor impairments of aging patients.

Advantages and Benefits:

  • Subtle, unobtrusive, and dignified means of detecting disability in the elderly population
  • Analytical and graphical system for detecting elderly persons’ physical motor capabilities
Patent Information:
Title App Type Country Serial No. Patent No. File Date Issued Date Expire Date Patent Status
Devices and Methods for Monitoring Sit to Stand Transfers Utility United States 12/850,151 8,491,504 8/4/2010 7/23/2013 12/7/2030  
Category(s):
Software and Computing
For Information, Contact:
Technology Commercialization
University of South Carolina
technology@sc.edu
Inventors:
Victor Hirth
Keywords:
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