Smart Technology for Aging and Reducing Disability (STAReD): Study protocol for a randomized pragmatic clinical trial

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Informatics
• Disability Studies

Background:

• There is a critical need to enhance the quality of life for community-dwelling older adults with disabilities.
• Smart, in-home sensor systems show promise for facilitating aging in place by enabling early illness and injury detection.
• Self-management interventions have demonstrated positive outcomes across various populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a technology-supported self-management intervention for rural, community-dwelling older adults with disabilities.
• To compare the impact of this intervention against a standard health education control group.
• To develop scalable guidance for implementing such technology-supported interventions.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, two-arm, randomized, pragmatic clinical trial design.
• Intervention group receives a multidisciplinary self-management approach with a smart-home sensor system.
• Control group receives standard health education with the smart-home sensor system.
• Primary outcomes include disability and health-related quality of life, assessed at baseline and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• The study is designed to assess changes in disability and health-related quality of life.
• Qualitative data from exemplar cases will inform scalable guidance.
• Recruitment in a rural population and sensor system supply chain issues have been successfully navigated.

Conclusions:

• This research has the potential to significantly impact the health and well-being of rural older adults with disabilities.
• The findings aim to provide generalizable guidance for scaling technology-supported self-management interventions.
• The study is on track to meet its aims, demonstrating feasibility in overcoming implementation barriers.