Codevelopment and Deployment of a System for the Telemonitoring of Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults Receiving Home Care Services: Protocol for an Action Design Research Study.

Background: Telemonitoring of activities of daily living (ADLs) offers significant potential for gaining a deeper insight into the home care needs of older adults experiencing cognitive decline, particularly those living alone. In 2016, our team and a health care institution in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, sought to test this technology to enhance the support provided by home care clinical teams for older adults residing alone and facing cognitive deficits. The Support for Seniors' Autonomy program (SAPA [Soutien à l'autonomie des personnes âgées]) project was initiated within this context, embracing an innovative research approach that combines action research and design science.

COOK technology to support meal preparation following a severe traumatic brain injury: a usability mixed-methods single-case study in a real-world environment.

Introduction: Following a traumatic brain injury (TBI), meal preparation may become challenging as it involves multiple cognitive abilities and sub-tasks. To support this population, the Cognitive Orthosis for coOKing (COOK) was developed in partnership with an alternative residential resource for people with severe TBI. However, little is known about the usability of this technology to support people with TBI living in their own homes.

[Se familiariser au transport en commun par l'apprentissage d'outils de planification technologiques : effets d'un programme co-construit avec des partenaires de la communauté auprès d'aînés vivant avec des incapacités].

Cette étude visait à documenter comment un programme de familiarisation à l'utilisation du transport en commun influence l'expérience de mobilité des aînés. Ce programme a été co-construit avec des partenaires clés afin d'y inclure l'usage d'outils de planification technologiques et un accompagnement personnalisé tenant compte des incapacités des participants. Une étude de cas multiples (n = 7) a été menée selon une approche mixte convergente, combinant des méthodes qualitatives (p.

Development of an Assistive Technology for Cognition to Support Meal Preparation in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: User-Centered Design Study.

Background: Although assistive technology for cognition (ATC) has enormous potential to help individuals who have sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) prepare meals safely, no ATC has yet been developed to assist in this activity for this specific population.

Objective: This study aims to conduct a needs analysis as a first step in the design of an ATC to support safe and independent meal preparation for persons with severe TBI. This included identifying cooking-related risks to depict future users' profiles and establishing the clinical requirements of the ATC.

Developing a One-Stop Platform Transportation Planning Service to Help Older Adults Move Around in Their Community Where, When, and How They Wish: Protocol for a Living Lab Study.

Background:  Multiple mobility-related challenges frequently appear with aging. As a result, many older adults have difficulty getting around, to go, for example, to doctors' appointments or leisure activities. Although various means of transportation are currently available, older adults do not necessarily use them, partly because they do not know which ones are adapted to their needs and preferences.

Smart Assistive Technology for Cooking for People With Cognitive Impairments Following a Traumatic Brain Injury: User Experience Study.

Background: User experience (UX), including usability, should be formally assessed multiple times throughout the development process to optimize the acceptability and integration of a new technology before implementing it within the home environment of people living with cognitive impairments.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify UX issues, notably usability issues, and factors to consider for the future implementation of the COOK (Cognitive Orthosis for Cooking) within the home of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to identify modifications to improve the technology.

Methods: This study comprised two rounds of UX evaluations, including extensive usability testing, which were completed in a laboratory context: 3 sessions with 5 experts and, after improvement of COOK, 2 sessions with 10 participants with TBI.

Implementation of an assistive technology for meal preparation within a supported residence for adults with acquired brain injury: a mixed-methods single case study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing an assistive technology for meal preparation called COOK within a supported community residence for a person with an acquired brain injury.

Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, a multiple baseline single-case experimental design and a descriptive qualitative study were conducted. The participant was a 47-year-old woman with cognitive impairments following a severe stroke.

Joining semantic and augmented reality to design smart homes for assistance.

Introduction: Smart homes for assistance help compensate cognitive deficits, thus favoring aging in place. However, to be effective, the assistance must be adapted to the abilities, deficits, and habits of the person. Beside the elder, caregivers are the ones who know the person's needs best.

Potential of using an assistive technology to address meal preparation difficulties following acquired brain injury: clients' and caregivers' perspectives.

Objectives: This study explored difficulties in meal preparation experienced by adults with moderate to severe acquired brain injury (ABI) and available compensatory strategies from both ABI individuals' and caregivers' perspectives. Further, this study investigated their opinions on potential benefits, barriers and facilitators to the use of the Cognitive Orthosis for coOKing (COOK) in their living environment.

Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive approach, semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups were carried out with adults with moderate to severe ABI ( = 20) and formal and informal caregivers ( = 13) in Ontario and Quebec, Canada.

Using Ambient Assisted Living to Monitor Older Adults With Alzheimer Disease: Single-Case Study to Validate the Monitoring Report.

Background: Many older adults choose to live independently in their homes for as long as possible, despite psychosocial and medical conditions that compromise their independence in daily living and safety. Faced with unprecedented challenges in allocating resources, home care administrators are increasingly open to using monitoring technologies known as ambient assisted living (AAL) to better support care recipients. To be effective, these technologies should be able to report clinically relevant changes to support decision making at an individual level.

Potential advantages, barriers, and facilitators of implementing a cognitive orthosis for cooking for individuals with traumatic brain injury: the healthcare providers' perspective.

Purpose: Considering the key role of health care providers in integrating assistive technologies into clinical settings (e.g., in/outpatient rehabilitation) and home, this study explored the care providers' perspectives on to the implementation of the Cognitive Orthosis for coOking (COOK) for adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) within clinical contexts and homes.

Canadian Occupational Therapists' Use of Technology With Older Adults: A Nationwide Survey.

As rehabilitation specialists, occupational therapy practitioners play a gateway role regarding recommendation of various technologies for homecare. However, no study has investigated current occupational therapy practices concerning information and communication technology (ICT) for older adults in Canada. The objective of this study was to identify Canadian occupational therapists' (OTs) knowledge and practices of ICT with older adults as well as factors associated with its recommendation.

Using a cognitive orthosis to support older adults during meal preparation: Clinicians' perspective on COOK technology.

Introduction: Occupational therapists promote safety and autonomy of older adults with cognitive impairments. A technology, named COOK, offers support on a touch screen installed next to the stove to support task performance while correcting risky behaviors. We aimed to document (1) the functional profiles according the diagnosis (2) the types of interventions used to increase autonomy in the kitchen (3) the facilitators and obstacles to the implementation of COOK with this clientele.

Context awareness architecture for ambient-assisted living applications: Case study of nighttime wandering.

Objectives: This work presents an ambient-assisted living application that encourages seniors during nocturnal wandering episodes to return to bed in calm and comfort reassurance.

Methods: Structuring knowledge by designing a software architecture capable of delivering high-level analysis and processing. A senior's home has been upgraded into a smart home enabling the gathering of habits for two weeks and set up for personalized assistance over four weeks.

Design and usability evaluation of COOK, an assistive technology for meal preparation for persons with severe TBI.

Aim: In Canada, 100,000 people suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. The prevalence of moderate to severe TBI is highest for young men, who will live an average of 50 years with this chronic condition associated with physical, emotional and cognitive deficits. Meal preparation, a complex activity with high safety risks, is one of the most significant activities impacted by TBI.

Smart Home Technology: A New Approach for Performance Measurements of Activities of Daily Living and Prediction of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults.

Background: Functional assessment is of paramount importance when mild cognitive impairment is suspected, but common assessment tools such as questionnaires lack sensitivity. An alternative and innovative approach consists in using sensor technology in smart apartments during scenario-based assessments of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). However, studies that investigate this approach are scarce and the technology used is not always transposable in healthcare settings.

Early Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment With In-Home Monitoring Sensor Technologies Using Functional Measures: A Systematic Review.

The aging of the world population is accompanied by a substantial increase in neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia. Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a clinical diagnostic that comes with an increased chance to develop dementias, could be an essential condition for promoting quality of life and independent living, as it would provide a critical window for the implementation of early pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. This systematic review aims to investigate the current state of knowledge on the effectiveness of smart home sensors technologies for the early detection of MCI through the monitoring of everyday life activities.

Special issue on technology and neuropsychological rehabilitation: Overview and reflections on ways to conduct future studies and support clinical practice.

In this editorial, we wish to highlight and reflect on research advances presented in the articles comprising this special issue on technology and neuropsychological rehabilitation, which happens to be published more than a decade after the first special issue on the subject. In 2004, the journal recognised the great potential of information technology for increasing the support provided to people with cognitive deficits, and published emerging state-of-the art practices in the field. Since that time, research and technology have made tremendous progress, and the influence of information technology on research methods has transformed the field of neurorehabilitation.

Impact of AP@LZ in the daily life of three persons with Alzheimer's disease: long-term use and further exploration of its effectiveness.

AP@LZ is an electronic organiser that was designed to support the day-to-day activities of persons with Alzheimer's disease. To assess the potential of this technology, three participants (NI, JB, RD) were approached to take part in the study. They benefited from a structured cognitive intervention to learn how to operate AP@LZ; the intervention included the following learning stages: Acquisition, Application and Adaptation.

From conception to evaluation of mobile services for people with head injury: A participatory design perspective.

Adults with cognitive impairments lack the means to organise their daily life, plan their appointments, cope with fatigue, and manage their budget. They manifest interest in using new technologies to be part of society. Unfortunately, the applications offered on smart phones are often beyond their cognitive abilities.

Identifying participation needs of people with acquired brain injury in the development of a collective community smart home.

Purpose: This study explored the personalized and collective participation needs of people with acquired brain injury (ABI) living in a future shared community smart home.

Methods: An action research study was conducted with 16 persons, seven with ABI, four caregivers and five rehabilitation or smart home healthcare providers. Twelve interviews and two focus groups were conducted, audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed for content.

Electronic organiser and Alzheimer's disease: fact or fiction?

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease characterised by a progressive loss of cognitive functions and impairment of activities of daily living severe enough to interfere with normal functioning. To help persons with this disease perform a variety of activities, our research team developed AP@LZ, an electronic organiser specifically designed for them. Two participants with Alzheimer's disease learned how to use AP@LZ in their daily lives by following a structured learning method.

Ecological assessments of activities of daily living and personal experiences with Mobus, an assistive technology for cognition: a pilot study in schizophrenia.

Mobus is a cognitive orthotic designed for people with difficulties managing Activities of Daily Living (ADL), as encountered in schizophrenia. It provides a schedule manager as well as the possibility to report occurrences of symptomatic experiences. Receiving this information by Internet, caregivers can assist the patient rehabilitation process.

Cooking "shrimp à la créole": a pilot study of an ecological rehabilitation in semantic dementia.

New learning in semantic dementia (SD) seems to be tied to a specific temporal and spatial context. Thus, cognitive rehabilitation could capitalise upon preserved episodic memory and focus on everyday activities which, once learned, will have an impact in everyday life. This pilot study thus explores the effectiveness of an ecological approach in one patient suffering from SD.

Location estimation in a smart home: system implementation and evaluation using experimental data.

In the context of a constantly increasing aging population with cognitive deficiencies, insuring the autonomy of the elders at home becomes a priority. The DOMUS laboratory is addressing this issue by conceiving a smart home which can both assist people and preserve their quality of life. Obviously, the ability to monitor properly the occupant's activities and thus provide the pertinent assistance depends highly on location information inside the smart home.