Wireless health monitoring: Design challenges

The elderly population has been steadily increasing worldwide. This situation has resulted in a growing need for healthcare approaches that emphasize routine long-term monitoring. Monitoring is of primary interest in the home situation in cultures where elderly do not live with relatives. In recent years, wireless technologies have been investigated aiming at health monitoring. They represent the key to improve person care, chronic disease management, and to promote the well-being of aged persons, allowing them to enlarge the period of living in their familiar home environment. This paper discusses recent advances in health monitoring using wireless technologies, presenting design challenges, practical limitations, and solutions.