Health Monitoring Systems for the Elderly During COVID-19 Pandemic: Measurement Requirements and Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionally impacting senior citizens around the world. Indeed, the higher percentage of death is among people 60 years and older. In Canada, 50% of the total fatalities are due to multiple COVID-19 outbreaks in senior care facilities. In the wake of such heart-breaking reality, healthcare officials, industry, and academics are seeking to develop innovative methods and policies to protect the elderly in Canadian long-term senior care homes. Consequently, there is a growing interest in intelligent health monitoring systems that incorporate multiple connected smart devices (e.g., wearable, actuators, sensors, etc.) to keep track of elderly residents in senior homes continuously. Many experts suggest that such systems provide cost-effective solutions and superior health monitoring services that could save lives during pandemics. This article covers the measurement requirements of these systems, the strength and weaknesses of existing methods, and the open research challenges.