So, today we had our first meeting for the I'M ACTIVE project, which is collaboration with my friends Alessandro, Daniele, Helen, and a few other collaborators. Several years in the making, but we finally starte it!
I'M-ACTIVE is about helping older adults stay healthy and active as they age. You know how as we get older, we're more likely to have multiple health issues and have trouble with physical and cognitive tasks? That's called frailty, and it's a big problem. We know that staying active is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of frailty, but it can be hard for older adults to stay motivated and active. That's where our project comes in!
We're using robotic technology to help older adults live independently, stay active and healthy, and receive social care. But we're doing it in a different way than most projects. We're using a Responsible Research and Innovation approach, which means that we're involving older adults, who will be using the technology, throughout the entire process. That way, we can make sure that the technology is meeting their specific needs and overcoming barriers to adoption.
So what we're working on is a smart system that can continuously provide personalized support to older adults to help them maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. It's using wearable and nearable sensors (that's me!) and a friendly robot to assess physical and cognitive abilities, and provide a comprehensive assessment of an individual's frailty status for caregivers to use in providing personalized care. And we're testing it all in a pilot study with older adults at risk of frailty to make sure it's something that's practical and useful for them.
I really believe that this project can make a big difference in the lives of older adults and I'm excited to be part of it. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes!