Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative

Knight, Rachel L.; Mackintosh, Kelly; Tales, Andrea; Maddison, Ralph; Oliver, Emily J.; Morgan, Deborah; McNarry, Melitta

doi:10.3390/jal5040055

Journal article 133 views 7 downloads

Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative

Rachel L. Knight

, 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

PDF | Version of Record

© 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.
Download (188.53KB)

Check full text

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...

Full description

Published in:	Journal of Ageing and Longevity
ISSN:	2673-9259
Published:	MDPI AG 2025
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71129

first_indexed	2025-12-11T09:38:48Z
last_indexed	2026-01-10T05:26:22Z
id	cronfa71129
recordtype	SURis
fullrecord	<?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2026-01-09T10:08:33.3321457</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>71129</id><entry>2025-12-11</entry><title>Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>bdb20e3f31bcccf95c7bc116070c4214</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-0355-6357</ORCID><firstname>Kelly</firstname><surname>Mackintosh</surname><name>Kelly Mackintosh</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>9b53a866ddacb566c38ee336706aef5f</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-4825-4555</ORCID><firstname>Andrea</firstname><surname>Tales</surname><name>Andrea Tales</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>6ab809844c56957c0e9773518a251516</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-3107-3945</ORCID><firstname>Deborah</firstname><surname>Morgan</surname><name>Deborah Morgan</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>062f5697ff59f004bc8c713955988398</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-0813-7477</ORCID><firstname>Melitta</firstname><surname>McNarry</surname><name>Melitta McNarry</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-12-11</date><deptcode>EAAS</deptcode><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.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Journal of Ageing and Longevity</journal><volume>5</volume><journalNumber>4</journalNumber><paginationStart>55</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>MDPI AG</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>2673-9259</issnElectronic><keywords>assistive technology; ageing; physical activity; research methodology/design; cognition</keywords><publishedDay>12</publishedDay><publishedMonth>12</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-12-12</publishedDate><doi>10.3390/jal5040055</doi><url/><notes>Opinion</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Engineering and Applied Sciences School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>EAAS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Not Required</apcterm><funders>This work was supported by a grant from The Sir Halley Stewart Trust [grant number: 2929].</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-01-09T10:08:33.3321457</lastEdited><Created>2025-12-11T09:31:34.1187250</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Rachel L.</firstname><surname>Knight</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9181-2615</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Kelly</firstname><surname>Mackintosh</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0355-6357</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Andrea</firstname><surname>Tales</surname><orcid>0000-0003-4825-4555</orcid><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Ralph</firstname><surname>Maddison</surname><orcid>0000-0001-8564-5518</orcid><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Emily J.</firstname><surname>Oliver</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1795-8448</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Deborah</firstname><surname>Morgan</surname><orcid>0000-0002-3107-3945</orcid><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Melitta</firstname><surname>McNarry</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0813-7477</orcid><order>7</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>71129__35941__307a152b7faf48b58b24637f6169b890.pdf</filename><originalFilename>71129.VOR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2026-01-09T10:06:20.2712735</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>193052</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>© 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.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling	2026-01-09T10:08:33.3321457 v2 71129 2025-12-11 Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative bdb20e3f31bcccf95c7bc116070c4214 0000-0003-0355-6357 Kelly Mackintosh Kelly Mackintosh true false 9b53a866ddacb566c38ee336706aef5f 0000-0003-4825-4555 Andrea Tales Andrea Tales true false 6ab809844c56957c0e9773518a251516 0000-0002-3107-3945 Deborah Morgan Deborah Morgan true false 062f5697ff59f004bc8c713955988398 0000-0003-0813-7477 Melitta McNarry Melitta McNarry true false 2025-12-11 EAAS 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. Journal Article Journal of Ageing and Longevity 5 4 55 MDPI AG 2673-9259 assistive technology; ageing; physical activity; research methodology/design; cognition 12 12 2025 2025-12-12 10.3390/jal5040055 Opinion COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University Not Required This work was supported by a grant from The Sir Halley Stewart Trust [grant number: 2929]. 2026-01-09T10:08:33.3321457 2025-12-11T09:31:34.1187250 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences Rachel L. Knight 0000-0002-9181-2615 1 Kelly Mackintosh 0000-0003-0355-6357 2 Andrea Tales 0000-0003-4825-4555 3 Ralph Maddison 0000-0001-8564-5518 4 Emily J. Oliver 0000-0002-1795-8448 5 Deborah Morgan 0000-0002-3107-3945 6 Melitta McNarry 0000-0003-0813-7477 7 71129__35941__307a152b7faf48b58b24637f6169b890.pdf 71129.VOR.pdf 2026-01-09T10:06:20.2712735 Output 193052 application/pdf Version of Record true © 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. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
spellingShingle	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative Kelly Mackintosh Andrea Tales Deborah Morgan Melitta McNarry
title_short	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
title_full	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
title_fullStr	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
title_full_unstemmed	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
title_sort	Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative
author_id_str_mv	bdb20e3f31bcccf95c7bc116070c4214 9b53a866ddacb566c38ee336706aef5f 6ab809844c56957c0e9773518a251516 062f5697ff59f004bc8c713955988398
author_id_fullname_str_mv	bdb20e3f31bcccf95c7bc116070c4214_*_Kelly Mackintosh 9b53a866ddacb566c38ee336706aef5f__Andrea Tales 6ab809844c56957c0e9773518a251516__Deborah Morgan 062f5697ff59f004bc8c713955988398_*_Melitta McNarry
author	Kelly Mackintosh Andrea Tales Deborah Morgan Melitta McNarry
author2	Rachel L. Knight Kelly Mackintosh Andrea Tales Ralph Maddison Emily J. Oliver Deborah Morgan Melitta McNarry
format	Journal article
container_title	Journal of Ageing and Longevity
container_volume	5
container_issue	4
container_start_page	55
publishDate	2025
institution	Swansea University
issn	2673-9259
doi_str_mv	10.3390/jal5040055
publisher	MDPI AG
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str	School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences
document_store_str	1
active_str	0
description	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.
published_date	2025-12-12T05:34:39Z
_version_	1856896478269669376
score	11.096068

Technology-Driven Physical Activity Research in Care Homes: A Reflective Narrative

Similar Items