4.2.2.1 Snowball sampling approach

This approach is the more appropriate method to sample the research cohort since sensible data were (anonymously) collected, and for this reason, precisely, it is difficult to find people willing to provide with their medical data. Participants have been selected on the basis of trust in the person who recruits them.

Table 2 summarizes the nursing home resident's cohort. A total of 33 patients were selected and classified per age range and gender. Table 3 shows the structure of the patients in homecare. A total of 30 patients were selected. The two cohorts were interviewed for investigating the health-related QoL in nursing homes or in homecare as well as their preference in terms of staying at residence or living at home with their family.

Table 4 presents the cohort for investigating challenges and issues faced by homecare.

Table 5 presents an overview of the structure of the testing cohort. According to [17], elderly people aged 75+ years request severe nursing care. Based on this finding, the testing cohort is split into two groups: (i) < 65 year old participants and (ii) 65+ year old participants. All test participants are living at home. Participants living or having poor family support as well as participants with good family support have been selected. The objective was to verify to what extent the proposed solution can assist the patient even if he has no support. Furthermore, the limitations of the proposed system need to be tested in terms of to what extent the third person is needed so that they can fully assist the patient.


4.2.3 Questionnaires for semi-structured interviews

This section summarizes the different questionnaires (Tables 6–8) used for the different surveys. At nursing homes and at participant's home (case of homecare),

Assessment method Total cohort size N = 515

Homecare patients (cohort structure and diseases they are suffering from).

Age range Total cohort size N = 30

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86247

\*\*Only people that are caring or have cared for a family member were selected to participate.

support

>65 Female 11 8 3 3 8 8 3

<65 Female 6 5 1 1 5 4 1 Diabetes

Male 7 2 5 1 6 6 1 \*NCD, non-communicable diseases; CD, communicable diseases/infectious diseases. No data collected on CDs.

\*Only staff involved in homecare.

Nursing staff and people interviewed on the street.

Age range Gender Participants Family

Table 4.

Table 3.

Table 5. The testing cohort.

85

Paper-based questionnaires 45 60 385 1:1 semi-structural interview 5 8 12

N = 50 N = 68 N = 397 Care staff\* Nursing staff`\* Other individuals\*\*

N = 14 N = 16 Female Male Number Health conditions Number Health conditions

1 Physically disabled 3 Depression

1 Physically disabled 1 Anxiety

2 Anxiety 2 Physically Disabled

< 50 4 3 Heart attack 7 2 Heart attack

IoT-Enabled Health Monitoring and Assistive Systems for in Place Aging Dementia Patient…

50–64 5 2 Mental disorder (early stage) 5 2 Depression

65–80 3 2 Alzheimer 3 Depression 1 Anxiety > 80 2 1 Parkinson's disease 1 1 Alzheimer 1 Alzheimer

Dementia Other

Good Poor Yes No Yes No

Male 9 4 5 0 9 7 2 Heart diseases diabetes

cognitive diseases

NCD/CD

2 Blindness

Table 2.

Nursing home residents (cohort structure and diseases they are suffering from).

IoT-Enabled Health Monitoring and Assistive Systems for in Place Aging Dementia Patient… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86247


#### Table 3.

about any discomfort the system has caused to them as well as if they feel

Internet of Things (IoT) for Automated and Smart Applications

been selected on the basis of trust in the person who recruits them.

This approach is the more appropriate method to sample the research cohort since sensible data were (anonymously) collected, and for this reason, precisely, it is difficult to find people willing to provide with their medical data. Participants have

Table 2 summarizes the nursing home resident's cohort. A total of 33 patients were selected and classified per age range and gender. Table 3 shows the structure of the patients in homecare. A total of 30 patients were selected. The two cohorts were interviewed for investigating the health-related QoL in nursing homes or in homecare as well as their preference in terms of staying at residence or living at

Table 4 presents the cohort for investigating challenges and issues faced by

[17], elderly people aged 75+ years request severe nursing care. Based on this finding, the testing cohort is split into two groups: (i) < 65 year old participants and (ii) 65+ year old participants. All test participants are living at home. Participants living or having poor family support as well as participants with good family support have been selected. The objective was to verify to what extent the proposed solution can assist the patient even if he has no support. Furthermore, the limitations of the proposed system need to be tested in terms of to what extent the third

person is needed so that they can fully assist the patient.

Age range Total cohort size N = 33

>80 6 3 Parkinson's disease

Nursing home residents (cohort structure and diseases they are suffering from).

Table 5 presents an overview of the structure of the testing cohort. According to

N = 17 N = 16 Female Male

1 Physically disabled 1 Depression

1 Not diagnosed with a mental disorder 1 Anxiety

1 Blindness + anxiety 2 Physically disabled

2 Anxiety 2 Depression

3 Alzheimer 1 Advanced dementia

2 Schizophrenia

3 2 Alzheimer

Number Health conditions Number Health conditions

< 50 2 1 Victim of road accident (outpatient) 4 1 Heart attack

50–64 4 2 Dementia (early stage) 5 2 Depression

65–80 5 3 Alzheimer 4 2 Alzheimer

Advanced dementia

observed or patronized.

4.2.2 Cohort sampling

home with their family.

homecare.

Table 2.

84

4.2.2.1 Snowball sampling approach

Homecare patients (cohort structure and diseases they are suffering from).


\*\*Only people that are caring or have cared for a family member were selected to participate. \*Only staff involved in homecare.

#### Table 4.

Nursing staff and people interviewed on the street.


\*NCD, non-communicable diseases; CD, communicable diseases/infectious diseases. No data collected on CDs.

#### Table 5.

The testing cohort.

#### 4.2.3 Questionnaires for semi-structured interviews

This section summarizes the different questionnaires (Tables 6–8) used for the different surveys. At nursing homes and at participant's home (case of homecare),

the questionnaires were used in 1:1 structured interview followed by a semistructured interview. Distractor or control questions are inserted into the questionnaire in order to detect discrepancies in the responses and thus filter the biased responses (Tables 6–8).
