Hyderabad, Jan 25 (IANS): A 13-year-old boy from Telangana, who developed a smart wristband to monitor Alzheimer's patients, is one of the recipients of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021 announced on Monday.

Hemesh Chadalavada from Ranga Reddy district has been awarded the Bal Puraskar for his excellence in the field of innovation.

He created the smart wristband to monitor Alzheimer's patients after seeing his grandmother suffer from the disease. The device monitors the wandering, pulse and blood pressure of the patient and sends an automatic alert to the caregiver and doctor in case of any abnormal health condition. An app displays the patient's health status and daily reports are automatically sent to the doctor while a camera detects any falls.

Every three seconds, one person in the world suffers from Alzheimer's. Patients suffering from this disease don't have control over their body.

Hemesh's grandmother was one among many suffering from Alzheimer's. She used to wander at abnormal timings from the bed without even the caregiver's notice. Irregular health check-ups were also common.

The device, worn by the Alzheimer's patient, monitors his or her health status. If the patient gets out of bed and starts wandering or has any abnormal health conditions, an alert is automatically sent to the caregiver and the doctor.

There is also a smart pillbox to ensure that correct pills are given. Hemesh has two international awards including a gold medal that he won at the IIA International Innovation Fair 2019 held at Hyderabad and six national awards to his name. He is a member of the Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) and a film will soon to be made on his life.

Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy has congratulated Hemesh on being conferred the award.