CTPC members Vigorous Mind, Inc. and the HBI Lab have received SBIR Phase 1 funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support their collaborative proposal, Integrated Web-Based Customer Engagement, Physical Exercise, and Coaching Platform for Older Adults. The goal of the project is to test the feasibility of deploying an economically feasible, machine-assisted, home-based wellness coaching system for older adults (read more about the project below).
Vigorous Mind joined the Consortium on Technology for Proactive Care in 2016. The HBI Lab is looking forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with VM!
ABSTRACT
The fast-growing older population coupled with the worsening shortage of caregivers and nurses will soon present our nation with severe societal and economic challenges. Older adults often struggle to maintain quality of life and independence in the presence of chronic diseases and isolation. Physical exercise and socialization have been shown to reduce chronic disease, depression, falls and to improve quality of life in older adults. Motivation and feedback are essential to continued engagement in a wellness program, but doing so through the traditional manner of in-person coaching can be prohibitively expensive. Vigorous Mind (VM) has been providing a web-based platform to promote sustained engagement in older adults primarily in senior living facilities. The platform provides dynamic and tailored content including reminiscence activities, favorite music and video, adaptive computer games and communication. With the help of the Consortium on Technology for Proactive Care, we will enhance the current VM system with an additional interactive physical exercise module and a health coach with automated tailored messaging and incentives for continued engagement and adherence. This will optimize the VM system for home-based deployment, thus expanding the reach and impact of VM to potentially delay or even prevent institutionalization among older adults living independently.