Investigating the role of wearable activity-tracking technologies in the well-being and quality of life of people aged 55 and over

Minocha, Shailey; Holland, Caroline; Banks, Duncan; McNulty, Catherine and Tudor, Ana-Despina (2017). Investigating the role of wearable activity-tracking technologies in the well-being and quality of life of people aged 55 and over. In: Wearable Technologies Special Interest Group, ACTIS (Advanced Clinical Technology Innovation Support) programme, 10 May 2017, Kents Hill Park Training & Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, England.

Abstract

In the Sir Halley Stewart Trust funded project on digital health wearables (http://www.shaileyminocha.info/digital-health-wearables/), we have been investigating whether and how wearable activity-tracking technologies (e.g. smart watches or activity trackers from Fitbit, Garmin, etc.) can facilitate self-monitoring of activity and health by people aged 55 years and over, and by carers for monitoring the health and activity of the people they care for.

On the Sir Halley Stewart Trust-funded project (May 2016 - July 2017), through empirical investigations and in collaboration with Age UK Milton Keynes (MK), Carers MK, and GPs and healthcare professionals, we have identified:

• challenges for adoption of these technologies;
• the need to design for age-related impairments (e.g. vision, hearing, memory, dexterity);
• concerns related to data management, security and data privacy;
• positive behavioural changes of using activity monitoring devices, and, in general;
• the role of digital health wearables in caring, self-management of health, post-operative monitoring of mobility, and for monitoring movement and locations in conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Ageing population, retaining independence of older people, support to carers, and using internet-enabled technologies to transform healthcare services are some of the national concerns. We are now involved in a multi-way knowledge-exchange (KE) programme (April 2017 - January 2018) through an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Award to set up dialogues with/between key stakeholders including manufacturers for improving the design of digital health wearables for older users, carers and medical professionals.

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