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An interactive system based on personal area networks, serious games and data mining to provide rehabilitation activities for older adults with cognitive decline

Abstract:

The latest estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO) point out that between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years will increase from 12% to 22%. Likewise, by 2050, around 80% of senior citizens will be living in low- and middle-income countries. They tend to suffer from several disorders such as hearing loss, cataracts, refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, and dementia. Cognitive decline is one of the most complex conditions that a senior citizen can face. For this reason, this paper proposes an interactive system that delivers collaborative playful activities to senior citizens through Personal Area Networks and serious games. In the same way, the proposal incorporates electronics kits to stimulate visuomotor coordination, spatial reasoning, and visual perception. The proposal was tested on 30 senior citizens with promising results.