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Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
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Kelly Mackintosh ,
Andrea Tales ,
Ralph Maddison ,
Emily J. Oliver ,
Deborah Morgan ,
Melitta McNarry
Journal of Ageing and Longevity, Volume: 5, Issue: 4, Start page: 55
Swansea University Authors:
Kelly Mackintosh , Andrea Tales , Deborah Morgan , Melitta McNarry
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© 2025 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
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DOI (Published version): 10.3390/jal5040055
Abstract
Assistive technologies are increasingly promoted to mitigate age-related declines in cognitive and physical function. Given high levels of sedentary behaviour in older adult care-home residents, technologies promoting physical activity may be beneficial. However, there is little evidence concerning...
| Published in: | Journal of Ageing and Longevity |
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| ISSN: | 2673-9259 |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71129 |
| Abstract: |
Assistive technologies are increasingly promoted to mitigate age-related declines in cognitive and physical function. Given high levels of sedentary behaviour in older adult care-home residents, technologies promoting physical activity may be beneficial. However, there is little evidence concerning their implementation, evaluation, use, and effects in care-home settings. This evidence gap is particularly notable in terms of the perspectives and experiences of care-home staff. This narrative reflects on insights gained from exploring key feasibility factors related to delivering an immersive cycling intervention in residential care homes from the perspective of care-home staff. Contemporaneous field notes, conversations with care-home managers and staff, and a discussion group involving six care-home staff and one care-home management group representative, as part of a workshop event, identified that standard research timescales and designs may be unsuitable for this research type, highlighting the need for comprehensive community engagement. Cultural and sector-wide considerations of risk and sensitivity to staffing and wider resource pressures are needed to determine optimal technology implementation and use. While assistive physical activity-focused technologies have potential benefits for adult care-home residents, especially those with cognitive impairment, their implementation and use in research and practice require careful planning. Flexible data collection and research designs that capture implementation processes and how participants’ use varies in dynamic contexts are required. Technologies that require high levels of staff supervision are often impractical. Implications for researchers, developers, and care-home operators are discussed with respect to improved informed decision-making and implementation. |
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| Item Description: |
Opinion |
| Keywords: |
assistive technology; ageing; physical activity; research methodology/design; cognition |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
This work was supported by a grant from The Sir Halley Stewart Trust [grant number: 2929]. |
| Issue: |
4 |
| Start Page: |
55 |