Strength, balance, movement are all components that contribute to maintaining independence, reducing risks of frailty, and thriving. For many elders, the path to building and maintaining strength feels out of reach. Research for decades shows, however, that we can always build strength at any time, any age.
DO it TWICE Our approach in this project towards helping elders build strength to maintain independence is to support the strength work we’re already doing: Standing up from sitting in a chair – in a gym that’s a box squat. Pushing up from the chair arms – in a gym that’s a dip. Reaching to put a can on a shelf – that’s a shoulder press. And there’s many many more movements within daily life that support building strength.
So folks all already have SOME strength. To help build on that foundation, we are piloting an interaction approach to invite elders simply to do what they’re doing again . We call that “do it twice”
Interactive System Our system integrates sensors and feedback mechanisms to support both modelling the movements participants can practice (like sitting up and down – twice), and encouragement that something they’re doing is a strength opportunity. The system also support peripheral displays to update participants on how many doubles (do it twice’s) they’ve done.
We’re just starting in-home testing with the system to see how functional assessments of strength change after engaging with the system over the coming months.
Designing Technology to support Thriving WITHOUT that technology Another aspiration of the approach is to look at how time with the system supports building a practice that no longer requires a system to support it – to learn more about the value of reminders and guides that can act as prompts from time to time rather than as constant trackers.
APPROACH – our approach is currently very much about un-wearables – we are focusing on how to support the environment to support inviting interaction – incidentally and in opportune contexts.
SUPPORT – this research is supported by the EPSRC
TEAM and Partners core team includes m.c. schraefel, and co-investigators Chris Freeman (electronics) and Martin Warner (physiology). Research Fellows are Arturo Vazquez Galvez (electronics), Chris Tacca (computer science/psychology), Izzy Thompson (physiology) and PhD student, Alex Bincalar (electronics and computer science). Our partners include Wessex NIHR ARC, Abri, and Public Health, Adults’ Health and Care of Hampshire County Council.
contact: EAthlete@nopain2.org – that goes right to m.c.