Affiliation: ORCATECH
Funding Period: 2010 - 2011
Funding Source: NIA – Roybal Center
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The overall objective of this pilot study is to increase our understanding of the value of technology-based health monitoring across different socio-economic groups. In the ORCATECH Living Laboratory, we have been able to document key objective activity measures in the home on an ongoing basis, including total activity in the home, time spent out of the home, number of outings, and weekly and seasonal changes in activity patterns. However, the majority of our participants are highly educated and of a high socioeconomic status (SES). It is unclear whether or not these technologies can be used to assess physical and cognitive activity that may be important for enabling independent aging among a wide range of elders of different socioeconomic status and education levels.
The specific aims of this research are:
- To identify concerns and issues of seniors in low SES groups relating to the use of in-home monitoring technology for continuous assessment of health status;
- To determine how differences in the infrastructure and home environments of individuals from low SES groups affect the sensor data collected in those homes; and
- To compare key baseline in-home measures across SES groups, including total activity in the home, time spent out of the home, number of outings, and time spent using the computer.