Preface

The aging population, the increasing cost of formal health care, caregiver burden and the importance that older adults place on living independently in their own homes motivate the need for the development of patient-centric technologies that promote safe independent living. These patient-centric technologies need to address various aging related physical and cognitive health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, deterioration of physical function, falling, wandering, strokes, and memory problems, lack of medication adher- ence, cognitive decline and loneliness. Advances in the sensor and computing technology that allow for ambient unobtrusive and continuous home monitoring have opened new vistas for the development of such technologies.