Recruiting and retaining older persons within a home-based pilot study using movement sensors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Falls in older adults are a significant public health concern.
• Understanding the circumstances of falls at home requires unobtrusive monitoring.
• Community-dwelling older adults are a key population for fall prevention research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot the recruitment and retention of community-dwelling older adults for a home-based motion sensor study.
• To investigate strategies for ethical participant engagement in technology-focused research.
• To understand older adults' experiences with in-home monitoring for fall research.

Main Methods:

• Recruited a small cohort of community-dwelling older adults.
• Piloted motion sensors in participants' homes for an 8-week period.
• Documented recruitment strategies focusing on informed consent and non-exploitation.
• Analyzed retention strategies including communication, data recording, pacing, and sharing.

Main Results:

• Successfully recruited and retained older adults for an 8-week home-based sensor study.
• Identified key challenges and effective strategies in participant recruitment and retention.
• Gathered insights into ethical considerations for technology deployment in older adults' homes.

Conclusions:

• Effective recruitment and retention strategies are crucial for involving older adults in technology-based research.
• Ethical considerations, clear communication, and participant-centered approaches maximize engagement.
• This study provides a framework for future research on older adults' falls using in-home sensing technologies.