Perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic and life-space mobility in older adults.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the physical health of older adults around the world, causing day-to-day disruptions in routines and changes to usual patterns of mobility. Despite the passing of 2 years since vaccinations, older adults continue to experience detriments, including social isolation and reduced mobility. This study aims to understand how views of the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with life-space mobility-moving about the community.

Resting state brain network segregation is associated with walking speed and working memory in older adults.

Older adults exhibit larger individual differences in walking ability and cognitive function than young adults. Characterizing intrinsic brain connectivity differences in older adults across a wide walking performance spectrum may provide insight into the mechanisms of functional decline in some older adults and resilience in others. Thus, the objectives of this study were to: (1) determine whether young adults and high- and low-functioning older adults show group differences in brain network segregation, and (2) determine whether network segregation is associated with working memory and walking function in these groups.

Identifying barriers and facilitators for using a smartwatch to monitor health among older adults.

Smartwatches are a type of wearable device that enable continuous monitoring of an individual's activities and critical health metrics. As the number of older adults age 65+ continues to grow in the U.S.

Media Consumption and COVID-19-Related Precautionary Behaviors During the Early Pandemic: Survey Study of Older Adults.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, media sources dedicated significant time and resources to improve knowledge of COVID-19 precautionary behaviors (eg, wearing a mask). Many older adults report using the television, radio, print newspapers, or web-based sources to get information on political news, yet little is known about whether consuming news in the early phase of the pandemic led to behavior change, particularly in older adults.

Objective: The goals of this study were to determine (1) whether dosage of news consumption on the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with COVID-19 precautionary behaviors; (2) whether being an ever-user of social media was associated with engagement in COVID-19 precautionary behaviors; and (3) among social media users, whether change in social media use during the early stages of the pandemic was associated with engagement in COVID-19 precautionary behaviors.

Uneven terrain versus dual-task walking: differential challenges imposed on walking behavior in older adults are predicted by cognitive and sensorimotor function.

Aging is associated with declines in walking function. To understand these mobility declines, many studies have obtained measurements while participants walk on flat surfaces in laboratory settings during concurrent cognitive task performance (dual-tasking). This may not adequately capture the real-world challenges of walking at home and around the community.

Feasibility of a Smartwatch Platform to Assess Ecological Mobility: Real-Time Online Assessment and Mobility Monitor.

Background: Early detection of mobility decline is critical to prevent subsequent reductions in quality of life, disability, and mortality. However, traditional approaches to mobility assessment are limited in their ability to capture daily fluctuations that align with sporadic health events. We aim to describe findings from a pilot study of our Real-time Online Assessment and Mobility Monitor (ROAMM) smartwatch application, which uniquely captures multiple streams of data in real time in ecological settings.

Worsening sleep predicts lower life space mobility during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Poor sleep health is an understudied yet potentially modifiable risk factor for reduced life space mobility (LSM), defined as one's habitual movement throughout a community. The objective of this study was to determine whether recalled changes in sleep traits (e.g.

Satisfaction, Usability, and Compliance With the Use of Smartwatches for Ecological Momentary Assessment of Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms in Older Adults: Usability Study.

Background: Smartwatches enable physicians to monitor symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis, their behavior, and their environment. Older adults experience fluctuations in their pain and related symptoms (mood, fatigue, and sleep quality) that smartwatches are ideally suited to capture remotely in a convenient manner.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate satisfaction, usability, and compliance using the real-time, online assessment and mobility monitoring (ROAMM) mobile app designed for smartwatches for individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Ratings of Perceived Exertion During Walking: Predicting Major Mobility Disability and Effect of Structured Physical Activity in Mobility-Limited Older Adults.

Background: This study evaluated the association between ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of walking and major mobility disability (MMD), as well as their transitions in response to a physical activity (PA) compared to a health education (HE) program.

Methods: Older adults (n = 1633) who were at risk for mobility impairment were randomized to structured PA or HE programs. During a 400 m walk, participants rated exertion as "light" or "hard.

The Temporal Relationship Between Ecological Pain and Life-Space Mobility in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Smartwatch-Based Demonstration Study.

Background: Older adults who experience pain are more likely to reduce their community and life-space mobility (ie, the usual range of places in an environment in which a person engages). However, there is significant day-to-day variability in pain experiences that offer unique insights into the consequences on life-space mobility, which are not well understood. This variability is complex and cannot be captured with traditional recall-based pain surveys.