| Paper Nr: |
3 |
| Title: |
Smart Environments in Support of Fragile and Isolated Older Adults: Protocol for the City of Côte Saint-Luc’s Living Lab |
| Authors: |
Nathalie Bier, Mélanie Couture, Thomas Tannou, Carolina Bottari, Thomas Lihoreau, Hélène Pigot, Sylvia Pelayo, Xavier Ferrer, Rosalie Wang, Charles Gouin-Vallerand, Guy Paré, Sébastien Gaboury, Kevin Bouchard, Sandra Smele and Sylvain Giroux |
| Abstract: |
In the context of an aging population, 5.6 million people in Canada are suffering from social isolation and this is a key factor contributing to frailty because it promotes the onset of cognitive impairment, depression, and dependency in older adults. The COVID-19 pandemic and the demands of social distancing have particularly affected older adults by increasing their exposure to social isolation and medical complications. In addition, the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of the health and social services system and the importance of exploring community involvement and telehealth solutions – such as telemonitoring activities of daily living (ADLs). This paper presents the protocol of a living lab project that aims to co-develop a support model around the telemonitoring of ADLs at the scale of a city, Côte Saint-Luc. In particular, the project seeks to optimize older adults’ identification and use of resources available in the community. These resources include services from the city, the health and social services system, and community organizations, and support from families and community volunteers. With the support of telemonitoring, this ecosystem could enable seniors to live at home for longer. |
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| Paper Nr: |
4 |
| Title: |
SAPA Technology: An AAL Architecture for Telemonitoring |
| Authors: |
Hubert Ngankam, Maxime Lussier, Aline Aboujaoudé, Cédric Demongivert, Hélène Pigot, Sébastien Gaboury, Kevin Bouchard, Mélanie Couture, Nathalie Bier and Sylvain Giroux |
| Abstract: |
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) aims to allow frail older adults to stay safe at home, partly through remote monitoring which offers clinicians a means to prevent and manage risks. AAL needs an architecture to support the large set of data emanating from multiple sensors dispatched in several smart homes. These data must be processed in real-time to take the appropriate decisions in time. In this article, we propose an Event-Driven Architecture according to the publish-subscribe pattern. The proposed architecture is the core of our system, named SAPA Technology. It is composed of three layers: data gathering, data ingestion, and data processing. To ingest the data stream, we choose Apache Kafka, an open-source broker, and Apache Spark, a streaming system to process the ingested data. The SAPA Technology architecture respects scalability, homogeneity, and modularity. It supports at least thirty-eight smart homes. |
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| Paper Nr: |
7 |
| Title: |
How Can Municipalities Support Aging in Place using Technological Innovations? A Single-case Study in a Canadian City |
| Authors: |
Mélanie Couture, Aline Aboujaoudé, Sylvain Giroux, Hélène Pigot and Nathalie Bier |
| Abstract: |
Governmental planning has to reflect the worldwide shift in demographics as the proportion of older adults is rapidly growing. Concepts such as age-friendly cities and smart cities suggest that municipalities and technologies have a role to play in supporting older citizens. Still, it is not clear how municipalities can actually support aging in place via technology? This single case-study in the city of Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec, Canada gathered via eight focus groups, the perspectives of older citizens, caregivers, and representatives of the City regarding this subject. The approach of Miles et al. (2014) was used for data analysis. Stakeholders believe the City could support aging in place by helping older citizens access existing services through technology. Furthermore, the City could provide an existing infrastructure, maintain the trust of older citizens regarding privacy issues and provide appropriate technology at a cheaper cost. Nonetheless, additional resources and various partners are necessary to undertake this technological endeavour. The City’s main responsibility would be related to the coordination of the new technological ecosystem comprising older citizens, their caregivers, volunteers, and partners providing services. More research involving multiple stakeholders is needed to conceptualize this technological ecosystem before implementing it in a real-world setting. |
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| Paper Nr: |
1 |
| Title: |
An Assistive Technology for Cognition to Support Meal Preparation: The Concept Map of a User-centred Design Process and Procedure |
| Authors: |
Sareh Zarshenas, Nathalie Bier, Helene Pigot, Sylvain Giroux, Patricia B. Semeniuk, Melanie Couture and Carolina Bottari |
| Abstract: |
In response to the long-lasting effects of cognitive impairments following acquired brain injury (ABI) on performing meal preparation safely and independently, our team has been working on developing a Cognitive Orthosis for coOKing (COOK) to meet these needs. In this paper, the concept mapping method was used to describe the processes and procedures of employing a user-centred design approach to develop this novel technology. For this purpose, a mixed methodology including qualitative and quantitative studies was conducted for needs analysis, prototype design, prototype evaluation, and technology validation via the examination of the usability and feasibility of COOK within real-life contexts. Our comprehensive studies have shown that COOK is a promising technology for meal preparation by individuals with severe ABI. Further study is warranted/in progress to develop a therapist’s interface to tailor the required type and level of assistance to a broader population with cognitive deficits of varying severity. |
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