Saturday, May 4, 2024
5/4/2024
The RERC on Technologies to Support Aging Among People with Long-Term Disabilities (TechSAge) will continue to serve as a catalyst for major advancements in research and development of home and community technologies. To respond to the priority, the mission of TechSAge is to meet the needs of people with long-term disabilities where they live, work, and play by conducting advanced engineering research and development of innovative technologies. To achieve the mission, TechSAge will take full advantage of the capacity, experience, and multidisciplinary collaborations among university researchers at Illinois, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and Kansas, along with industry and community partners. TechSAge will conduct research and development projects as well as training and dissemination efforts that are responsive to the priorities to support successful aging among people with long-term disabilities. Our cohesive, yet diverse, plans influence all domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Our projects advance understanding of or enhance environments of older adults with long term disabilities, which in turn impacts body functions/structures, activities, and participation at home, work, and play. Research Projects: R1. User Needs Assessment for People Aging with Long-Term Disabilities will continue to build a rich database to facilitate understanding needs of older adults aging with long term disabilities, a critical step toward developing effective technology solutions. We will recruit from racial/ethnic minority groups which will enrich the data set. A companion mixed methods study will be designed to understand the needs of older adults with long-term disabilities who remain in the workforce. R2. Scale-Up Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Telewellness Program. Building on ten years of foundational research, this implementation and scale-up evaluation will examine strategies to effectively deliver the TechSAge Tai Chi Telewellness program. The program will be delivered in a range of community settings to optimize the program uptake, adoption, and sustainability. R3. Design Requirements for Self-care Technologies. Motivated by R1 findings, the team will examine bathing and self-care needs of older adults who use wheelchairs to inform the design of a robotic shower head (D3 project). Participants will have an opportunity to test the robotic shower head prototype developed in D3 and provide feedback to further refine the device. Development Projects: D1. SmartBathroom Testbed. We will build on efforts through the addition of a voice-control interface for the SmartToilet and development of a portable SmartSeat to monitor in-home changes in toilet transfer safety and performance over time. D2. Monitoring and Managing Falls. This project will enhance the Fall Management System- Wheelchair (FaMe-W) developed through TechSAge. Based on user needs, FaMe-W will be expanded to capture contextual circumstances associated with falls from a wheelchair and visually convey those circumstances in a meaningful way. D3. A Soft Robot Shower Head. In conjunction with R3, a “plug-and-play” soft robotic shower head will be developed that can be integrated into the existing infrastructure of a typical home bathroom to support safety and independence of older adults who use wheelchairs full time. After development, a user testing study (R3) will inform future refinement. D4. Wayfinding Support Robot. Informed by needs expressed in R1, and building on a funded pilot grant, a new project will be implemented to develop a wayfinding robot to support independent indoor navigation among older adults with vision impairments. D5. Innovative Incubator will serve as an important resource to support the development of new early-stage rapid response pilot projects that align with the mission of TechSAge. Four initial projects will be developed targeting primarily body functions and structures and activity.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
