title: Feasibility testing of a home-based sensor system to monitor mobility and daily activities in Korean American older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to test feasibility of a home-based sensor system that is designed to assess mobility and daily activity patterns among Korean American older adults (KAOAs; n = 6) and explore sensor technology acceptance among participants.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Home-based sensors have the potential to support older adults' desire to remain at home as long as possible. Despite a growing interest in using home-based sensors for older adults, there have been no documented attempts to apply this type of technology to a group of ethnic minority older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study employed descriptive, quantitative and qualitative approaches.
  
  
  METHODS
  The system was deployed for 2 months in four homes of KAOAs. Study procedures included (i) sensor-based data collection, (ii) self-report mobility instruments, (iii) activity logs and (iv) interviews. To explore changes in activity patterns, line graphs and sequence plots were applied to data obtained from a set of sensors. General linear models (GLMs) were used for motion in each space of the home to examine how much variability of activities is explained by several time variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sensor data had natural fluctuation over time. Different 24-hr patterns were observed across homes. The GLM estimates showed that effect sizes of the time variables vary across individuals. A hydro sensor deployed in one participant's bathroom inferred various water usage activities. Overall, sensors were acceptable for all participants, despite some privacy concerns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings demonstrate that sensor technology applications could be successfully used longitudinally in a minority population of older adults that is not often targeted as an end-user group for the use of innovative technologies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of home-based sensors provides nurses with a useful tool to detect deviations from normal patterns and to achieve proactive care for some groups of older adults.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems and Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, Schools of Nursing and Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Demiris
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Hilaire J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Intel Labs, Santa Clara, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ke-Yu
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burr
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Shwetak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fogarty
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D014861:Washington
keywords: daily activities; ethnic minority older adults; feasibility testing; mobility; sensor-based monitoring; technology acceptance