Moreover, the most widely used practices for the caring of
older people are rest homes and personal carers (see for
illustration in Figure 2). However, both of these have several
disadvantages. In a rest home, the older person cannot be
accompanied at all times, because the number of carers is
limited and they can only help over limited periods, such as
administering medication and invitation. A personal carer
seems a good solution, however, it may be very costly, and still
may not provide total supervision. Hence, there is still a need
for a cost effective and easily applicable method for monitoring
older people in emergency situations.