Grant: Operating Grant: Demonstration Projects in Mobility in Aging

The majority of older Canadians wish to live independently at home or "age in place." Doing so requires the ability to perform basic activities of daily living, such as transferring between various positions (i.e., laying to sitting). The proposed work will examine the implementation of an emerging technology, a high-resolution pressure-sensitive mat, which can measure forces applied to the bed wile transferring, and assess its suitability to recognize progressive/evolving changes in transfer skills which can be characterized by the technology. Building on pilot test results in which the technology was able to identify individuals with substantially different mobility status, this study will demonstrate if both individuals at risk of sudden change (decrease) in mobility as well as individuals whose transfer patterns change slowly due to gradual changes in health status can be identified using the technology. The recognition of evolving transfer patterns reflecting mobility problems could lead to the implementation and testing of early interventions, ranging from warning systems to exercise programs to prevent potential acute or chronic mobility problems amongst the elderly.