In-Home Monitoring of Selected Independent ADLs

描述(由申请人提供)：在这项研究中，我们建议评估使用非侵入性家庭监测系统(IMS)来监测老年人在其生活环境中选定的独立日常生活活动的可行性。可行性评估阶段将主要针对该技术对专业和非正式护理人员的效用以及老年人对该技术的接受程度。我们还将在一个多单元测试现场根据用户的活动日志和正式日常生活活动(ADLS)/日常生活仪器性活动(IADLS)评估的结果验证该系统。 这项技术的更广泛的影响潜力包括： 1.减轻保健和老年护理提供者的负担，从而降低成本和/或提高服务水平。 2.通过成本相对较低的技术，为老年人延长健康、积极和有尊严的生活，使社会低收入阶层能够广泛获得。 3.推迟老年人进入专门机构，从而降低正规老年人/保健费用。 4.降低非正规护理的费用，这对老年人来说特别高。 5.减轻非正式照顾者的负担，包括情感和时间负担，从而改善他们的身心健康状况。 然而，这些影响超出了本研究的范围，可以在未来的研究中加以解决。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In this study, we propose to evaluate the feasibility of using an unobtrusive In-home Monitoring System (IMS) to monitor selected independent activities of daily living of older adults in their living setting. The feasibility evaluation phase will primarily target the utility of the technology to professional and informal caregivers and acceptance of this technology by older adults. We will also validate the system in a multi-unit test site against users' activity journals and the results of formal activities of daily living (ADLs)/instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) assessments. The broader impact potentials for this technology include: 1. Reducing burdens on the health and elder care providers, and consequently reducing cost and/or improving the level of service. 2. Extending a healthy, active and dignified life for the aging through a comparatively low cost technology that can be made widely accessible to the low-income strata of society. 3. Delaying the admittance of elder adults to specialized institutions, and hence reducing the cost of formal elder/health care. 4. Reducing the cost of informal care, which is particularly high for older adult populations. 5. Reducing burdens on informal caregivers, including emotional and time burdens, and hence improving their mental and physical health conditions. These impacts, however, are outside the scope of this study and can be addressed in future studies.