An Interactive Fuzzy Inference System for Teletherapy of Older People

Abstract

The progressive aging of the population in developed countries is becoming a problem for healthcare systems, which must invest ever higher sums in caring for their older citizens. One of the most important issues in this area involves the physical and cognitive problems associated with growing old. In order to reduce the effect of these problems, gerontechnology has emerged as one of the most promising alternatives, especially in the field of the telerehabilitation systems developed to date. However, most of these systems do not offer therapists the facilities to design therapies adapted to individual patients. This paper proposes a novel system that supplies this need and enables therapists to create bespoke motor therapies as state diagrams and manage them efficiently in a collaborative setting. The proposed system is equipped with a fuzzy-based decision-making component that therapists can use to control transitioning between states according to variables such as fatigue and performance. Therefore, the system makes it feasible to provide older patients with the treatment they need in their own homes while its effectiveness is controlled by a Fuzzy Inference System. Cogn Comput (2016) 8:318-335 DOI 10.1007/s12559-015-9356-6 Ã?ndice de calidad: ------------------------ índice de impacto: 1.993 Posición relativa: 41/130