Technologies for participatory medicine and health promotion in the elderly population

Abstract

Introduction:The progressive aging of the population is a socio-demographic phenomenon experienced by most countries in the world in recent decades, especially in Japan and in many European Union countries. During this process, so-called “geriatric syndromes” frequently occur. The focus of this study is the quality of life of the elderly in relation to these 3 factors: risk of falls, urinary incontinence, and insomnia.Objective:The main purpose is to determine the impact of a multifactorial intervention program implemented with institutionalized elderly people. The program is focused on the treatment of the aforementioned factors.Methods and Analysis:The study will be carried out with elderly people living in three residences for the elderly in A Coruña Province (Galicia, Spain).It is a prospective and longitudinal study, with a temporary series design of a “quasi-experimental” type that evaluates the effect of an intervention in 1 given population by doing assessments pre- and post-intervention, but there is no comparison with a control group.The intervention will be based on a multifactorial program, including the following phases: the use of wearable devices (wearable fitness trackers to register physical activity and sleep), the use of an App on a Tablet to record the participants’ occupations and activities, counseling about performance in activities of daily living, the implementation of a physical activity program, and the treatment of the pelvic floor (according to each research line). The Quality of Life (QoL) will be assessed before and after the intervention, with the use of the questionnaire EuroQol-5D-5L. Data analysis will be applied with all registered variables through a quantitative perspective.Ethics and Dissemination:The protocol has been approved by the host institution's ethics committee (Research Ethics Committee of Galicia) under the number 2017/106. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journal articles and conferences. This clinical trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03504813.

Analysis of Older Adults in Spanish Care Facilities, Risk of Falling and Daily Activity Using Xiaomi Mi Band 2

“…An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on three different institutions located in Galicia autonomous community (Spain), all of them providing services as a residence and day center. It is part of the GeriaTIC project [ 46 ] (Clinical Trials NCT03504813), in which two institutions participated, and another project (Clinical Trials NCT04592796), in which one institution participated. The three institutions have similar characteristics and similar populations.…”

A Framework for a New Approach to Empower Users Through Low-Cost and Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology

“…User’s experience: The process of creating an assistive device must involve the final user (person with a disability and his/her family), because otherwise there is a risk that the proposed solution does not respond to the demands, priorities and needs of the individual. Based on previous research [ 13 ], [ 14 ], [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], the key factors were selected in order to be incorporated into the framework. After that, several non-structured interviews with different profiles of people with disabilities were carried out to complete the general perspective of the user.…”

Occupational Therapy and the Use of Technology on Older Adult Fall Prevention: A Scoping Review

“…These multifactorial programs [ 30 ] involve a combination of exercise (focus on strength, balance and mobility), and other options such as individualized and comprehensive fall risk assessment about the person and, their environment and education on fall prevention. The GeriaTIC project is an example of using multifactorial interventions for fall prevention [ 31 ]. A study by Close and colleagues highlighted that an interprofessional approach to this high-risk population can significantly decrease the risk of further falls and limit functional impairment [ 32 ].…”