Aware technologies for aging in place: understanding user needs and attitudes

Although computing technology has made inroads into home environments, it has yet to instigate a major shift in the design of homes or home activities. The convergence of television and the Internet is lagging behind expectations, and the combination of desktop computers, entertainment consoles, televisions, and cell phones has yet to form a cohesive whole. One possible reason for this lag in progress is that these technologies don't address a coherent need -they merely augment current entertainment and communication practices. We base our research on the premise that the next revolution of technology in the home will arise from devices that help older adults maintain their independence. A coherent suite of technologies will eventually let older adults be proactive about their own healthcare, will aid them in daily activities and help them learn new skills, will create new avenues for social communication, and will help ensure their safety and well being. The Aware Home Research initiative hopes to help older adults "age in place" by creating devices that can assist with daily tasks, offer memory support, and monitor daily activities. However, understanding user needs and attitudes is essential to deploying this technology.     

Sensory brain activation during rectal balloon distention: a pilot study in healthy volunteers to assess safety and feasibility at 1.5T

Objective

Although increasing evidence suggests a central mechanism of action for sacral neuromodulation, the exact mechanism remains unclear. We set up a scanning paradigm to measure brain activation related to various stages of rectal filling using rectal balloon distention.

Materials and Methods

Six healthy volunteers underwent rectal balloon distention during MRI scanning at a 1.5T scanner with a Tx/Rx head coil. MR images were collected at four levels of distention: empty balloon (EB), first sensation volume (FSV), desire to defecate volume (DDV), maximum tolerable volume (MTV). Data were analyzed using BrainVoyager 20.4. Whole brain and ROI-based fixed-effects general linear model analyses were performed on the fMRI time-course data from all participants.

Results

Rectal filling until FSV evoked the most blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses in several clusters throughout the cortex, followed by the responses evoked by rectal filling until DDV. Interestingly, rectal filling until MTV evoked negative responses compared to baseline throughout the cortex. No negative side effects were found.

Discussion

This study shows that a standardized paradigm for functional MRI combined with rectal filling is feasible and safe in healthy volunteers and is ready to be used in fecal incontinent patients to assess whether their brain activity differs from healthy controls.

     

Older adults' motivated choice for technological innovation: Evidence for benefit-driven selectivity.

This study examined older adults' motivation to adopt technological innovation. Sixty-eight older e-mail users and nonusers discussed the use of e-mail and of traditional communication methods in 18 focus groups. The results show older adults' benefit-driven approach to new communication technology. Regardless of whether their decision about the new technology was positive or negative and irrespective of their e-mail experience, participants focused on benefits rather than costs. For traditional media, both costs and benefits were important. Results contradict the common belief that barriers such as usability problems determine whether older people use new technology and indicate the decisive role of perceived benefits for successful innovation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)