A Planning System Based on Markov Decision Processes to Guide People with Dementia Through Activities of Daily Living

TitleA Planning System Based on Markov Decision Processes to Guide People with Dementia Through Activities of Daily Living
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2006
AuthorsBoger, J., J. Hoey, P. Poupart, C. Boutilier, G. Fernie, and A. Mihailidis
JournalIEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine
Volume10
Start Page323
Issue2
Date Published04/2006
ISSN1558-0032
Accession Number9030006
Keywordsautonomous guidance, dementia, Markov decision process, medical computing
Abstract

Older adults with dementia often cannot remember how to complete activities of daily living and require a caregiver to aid them through the steps involved. The use of a computerized guidance system could potentially reduce the reliance on a caregiver. This paper examines the design and preliminary evaluation of a planning system that uses Markov decision processes (MDPs) to determine when and how to provide prompts to a user with dementia for guidance through the activity of handwashing. Results from the study suggest that MDPs can be applied effectively to this type of guidance problem. Considerations for the development of future guidance systems are presented.

URLhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1613958/
DOI10.1109/TITB.2006.864480