The case for investment in technology to manage the global costs of dementia

Worldwide growth in the number of people living with dementia will continue over the coming decades and is already putting pressure on health and care systems, both formal and informal, and on costs, both public and private. One response could be to make greater use of digital and other technologies to try to improve outcomes and contain costs. We were commissioned to examine the economic case for accelerated investment in technology that could, over time, deliver savings on the overall cost of care for people with dementia. Our short study included a rapid review of international evidence on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of technology, consideration of the conditions for its successful adoption, and liaison with people from industry, government, academic, third sector and other sectors, and people with dementia and carers. We used modelling analyses to examine the economic case, using the UK as context. We then discussed the roles that state investment or action could play, perhaps to accelerate use of technology so as to deliver both wellbeing and economic benefits

Aging between Participation and Simulation

This publication aims to initiate an interdisciplinary discourse on the ethical, legal, and social implications of socially assistive technologies in healthcare. It combines practically relevant insights and examples from current research and development with ethical analysis to uncover moral pitfalls at the intersection between the promotion of social participation and well-being, and risks that may diminish the achievement of these ends

Aging between Participation and Simulation

This publication aims to initiate an interdisciplinary discourse on the ethical, legal, and social implications of socially assistive technologies in healthcare. It combines practically relevant insights and examples from current research and development with ethical analysis to uncover moral pitfalls at the intersection between the promotion of social participation and well-being, and risks that may diminish the achievement of these ends

Cohabitants’ Experiences of Daily Activities and Expectations on How the Housing Adaptation Will Affect Their Own and Their Partners’ Daily Activities

The aim of this qualitative research was to describe the cohabitant’s experience of their daily activities and how they expect that housing adaptation (HA) will affect their own and their partners’ daily activ-ities. Cohabitant means a person who lives in the same residence as the client, with or without giving care to the client. The study included interviewing four cohabitants, all men and aged more that 65 years, to clients who applied for an HA. Interview data was analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. Results: Cohabitants experienced that in the daily life, they needed to be available on demand and give help, they felt worried, were doing their own activities, and experienced being limited in the choice of their desired activities. The other part of the result shows that cohabitants expected the HA to imply benefits for both their own and their partners’ type of activities. Conclusion: According to the Swedish legislation, HA is an intervention applied only for clients, but the current study shows that the cohabitants expected that HA would be of benefit to their own daily activities as well. However, the cohabitants expressed that the partners’ functioning were more important than how the HA would make the house look

The use of information and communication technology to support children and adolescents with ADHD and/or autism with everyday activities. The experience gained from four case studies.

publishedVersio

Industrial product design for elderly people in interior spaces

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Industrial Design, Izmir, 2006Includes bibliographical references (leaves:149-156)Text in English, Abstract: Turkish and Englishxiv,165 leavesThroughout the history of mankind, the aging concept has been one of the oldest and most significant concerns of all societies and individuals. In the contemporary world, increasing ageing of the population has globally created phenomena and priorities that affect life styles and world views of all people. Demographic changes show the elderly population is the fastest growing part of the world.s population, particularly in Japan, Europe and the USA. Therefore, populations become older and more disabled and these trends continue in the future. The aging process restricts the many physical and cognitive abilities of the elderly.Besides, most of elderly people continue to live their own households. Present products which for increasing aging population living alone have become inadequate to meet their changing physical, sensory and cognitive requirements during the aging process. For this reason, product design for elderly and its criteria which can be adapted to global needs of people to reach an optimal solution should be considered profoundly. Products which can respond many physical problems of elderly help them to accomplish the activities of daily living in interior spaces and act as a physical and cognitive assistive role in their lives. This study aims to examine the domestic products which are being used by elderly people in interior spaces to make daily living activities more efficient and satisfying for them and reveal the criteria to reach a solution. These products aim to improve the independently living and the quality of life of elderly people and connect them to social life

Origins and consequences of technology acquirement by independent-living seniors:Towards an integrative model

Background: Living independently can be challenging for seniors. Technologies are expected to help older adults age in place, yet little empirical research is available on how seniors develop a need for technologies, how they acquire these technologies, and how these subsequently affect their lives. Aging is complex, dynamic and personal. But how does this translate to seniors’ adoption and acceptance of technology? To better understand origins and consequences of technology acquirement by independent-living seniors, an explorative longitudinal qualitative field study was set up. Methods: Home visits were made to 33 community-dwelling seniors living in the Netherlands, on three occasions (2012–2014). Semi-structured interviews were conducted on the timeline of acquirements, and people and factors involved in acquirements. Additionally, participants were interviewed on experiences in using technologies since acquirement. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze interview transcripts, using a realist approach to better understand the contexts, mechanisms and outcomes of technology acquirements. Results: Findings were accumulated in a new conceptual model: The Cycle of Technology Acquirement by Independent-Living Seniors (C-TAILS), which provides an integrative perspective on why and how technologies are acquired, and why these may or may not prove to be appropriate and effective, considering an independent-living senior’s needs and circumstances at a given point in time. We found that externally driven and purely desire-driven acquirements led to a higher risk of suboptimal use and low levels of need satisfaction. Conclusions: Technology acquirement by independent-living seniors may be best characterized as a heterogeneous process with many different origins, pathways and consequences. Furthermore, technologies that are acquired in ways that are not congruent with seniors’ personal needs and circumstances run a higher risk of proving to be ineffective or inappropriate. Yet, these needs and circumstances are subject to change, and the C-TAILS model can be employed to better understand contexts and mechanisms that come into play

Life-Space Mobility and Aging in Place

Research on older adults explores the notion of “aging in place”—providing older adults the opportunity to continue to occupy familiar surroundings, to live in their own homes and communities. But oftentimes one’s ability to stay or leave, particularly in old age, depends on the built environment. Mobility is the ability to meet the basic needs to access goods, activities, services, and social interactions as they relate to quality of life. Thus, mobility is essential to older adults due to their limited, or gradually reducing, physical and cognitive abilities. In transportation research, mobility is often regarded in terms of travel behavior and it is measured by the number of outside-home travel. However, in other fields, including public health, it refers to the relative ease and freedom of movement in all of its forms. This study intends to broaden the understanding of the environmental factors on older adults’ mobility in different life spaces, from one’s bedroom to sidewalk, from home to a final destination via walking, public transit and/or driving. We document and examine 1) the ways in which older adults talk about, understand, and make meaning of their experiences and conditions related to life-space mobility and, 2) how these frames of reference guide their ability to be able to age in place. To achieve these aims, we developed a life-space mobility assessment tool and conduct semi-structured interviews with 25 older adults who have participated in home accessibility modification programs in the U.S. Western region. Given that interviewees already have engaged in some level of self-determination to improve their lives at home, we are interested in their life-space mobility and which opportunities they might see to improve their auto sufficiency. Our work provides both a basis and springboard for studying further geographies and discussion about policy initiatives to effectively and equitably address growing mobility disparities

Body-worn accelerometer-based health assessment algorithms for independent living older adults

The mainstream smart wearable products used for activity trackers have experienced significant growth recently. Among the older population, collecting long periods of activity data in a real-life setting is challenging even with wearable devices. Studies have found inconsistent and lower accuracies when older adults use these smart devices [1], [2],[2],[3]. As a person ages, many have lower daily levels of activity and their dynamic functional patterns, such as gaits and sit-to-stand transitional movements vary throughout the day. This thesis explores wearable health-tracking applications by evaluating daytime and nighttime pattern metrics calculated from continuous accelerometer signals. These signals were collected externally from the upper trunk of the body in an independent-living environment of 30 elderly volunteers. Our gold standard to validate the metrics from the accelerometer signals were similar metrics calculated from an in-home sensor network [4]. This thesis first developed an algorithm to count steps and another algorithm to detect stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand (STS) to demonstrate the importance of considering differences in daily functional health patterns when creating algorithms. Next, this thesis validates that accelerometer data can show similar motion density results as motion sensor data. And thirdly, this thesis proposes an updated vacancy algorithm using a new motion sensor system that detects when no one is in the living space, compared against the current algorithm.Includes bibliographical references (pages 108-111)