Internet platform enabling older adult interaction with family and health system

描述(由申请者提供)：这一阶段的试点是评估使用家庭健康网络的互联生活计划作为一种干预措施，以增加对基于网络的技术的获取，并作为支持独立生活的工具的可行性。健康状况下降和社会参与受限之间的关系是非常积极的。当流动性和精力水平下降时，个人面临着变得更加与世隔绝的风险，为孤独、无聊和无助感让路。如果所爱的人生活在遥远的地方，社会孤立可能会加剧。为健康每况愈下的人提供互联网，有望通过缓解健康下降和社会孤立的螺旋式上升来改善心理健康。家庭健康网络的互联生活计划结合了一个用户友好的平台，通过使用触摸屏技术减少了计算机和互联网使用的正常障碍。该平台设计的重点是简化核心应用程序的使用，使关键内容始终在线，只需三次或更少的“点击”即可导航，增加字体大小，简化常见任务，并集成多种形式的网络通信。Connected for Life计划还包括可选的数据捕获功能，使用户能够跟踪健康促进活动，并在必要时使其社交网络形成关怀圈，以交换信息并共同支持用户独立生活。在第一阶段，我们将评估互联生活平台满足社区居住老年人的通信、信息搜寻和健康促进需求的能力。我们将优先考虑和指导互联生活平台的进一步发展，以解决最常见的通信和技术使用障碍，通过开发优化老年人采用和使用互联生活计划所需的支持服务和资源来开发完整的互联生活计划，并制定和/或制定适当的措施来评估互联生活计划(即平台和支持服务和资源)对互惠沟通频率、社会关系质量、心理健康和孤独感等关键结果的影响。总之，第一阶段的里程碑将定义互联生活计划的参数，该计划将导致一项临床试验，供老年人在家中独立使用一段时间。 与公共健康相关：成功的老龄化意味着独立、安全和有保障的环境、与家庭和医疗保健的联系，以及避免机构护理的高昂成本。使用创新技术的实际应用，如本提案中所提供的，将使老年人能够保持独立，同时保持与他们的护理网络的联系。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase I pilot is to assess the feasibility of using the Family Health Network's Connected for Life Program as an intervention to increase access to web-based technologies and as a tool to support independent living. The relationship between declining health and restricted social engagement is strongly positive. When mobility and energy levels wane, individuals are at risk for becoming more socially isolated, making way for loneliness, boredom, and feelings of helplessness. Social isolation can be exacerbated when loved ones live at a distance. Access to the internet for people whose health is declining holds promise for improving psychological well-being by mitigating this spiral of declining health and social isolation. Family Health Network's Connected for Life program incorporates a user-friendly platform which reduces normal barriers to computer and internet use through the use of touch screen technology. The focus of the design of the platform is to simplify the use of core applications by having key content "always on," using three "clicks" or less to navigate, increasing font size, simplifying common tasks, and integrating multiple forms of web-enabled communication. Connected for Life program also includes optional data capture features that enables users to track health promotion activities and if necessary, enable their social network to form a care circle to exchange information and work together to support the user to live independently. In Phase I, we will assess the capacity of the Connected for Life Platform to meet the communication, information-seeking and health promotion needs of community-dwelling older adults. We will prioritize and direct further development of the Connected for Life Platform to address the most frequently identified barriers to communication and technology use, develop the full Connected for Life Program by developing the support services and resources needed to optimize its adoption and use by an older adult population and assemble and/or develop the appropriate measures to assess the impact of the Connected for Life Program (i.e. the Platform and the support services and resources) on key outcomes such as frequency of reciprocal communication, quality of social relationships, psychological well-being, and loneliness. Together, Phase I milestones will define the parameters of the Connected for Life Program that will lead to a clinical trial for independent use by older adults for a period of time in their homes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Successful aging means independence, a safe and secure environment, connectivity to family and health care and avoiding the daunting costs of institutional care. Practical applications using innovative technologies, such as provided in this proposal, will allow older adults to remain independent while staying connected to their care network.