The purpose of this study was to test feasibility of the Telehealth Community Health Assistance Team (T-CHAT), a nurse-led intervention delivered through a telepresence robot designed to promote healthy independent living among older adults. Using a quasi-experimental design, 21 older adults were divided into a T-CHAT group (n = 11) or a waitlist control group (n = 10). The T-CHAT group received 3 weekly health coaching sessions from a nurse practitioner student through the telepresence robot. Data trends were analyzed using two-way repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with baseline values as co-variates; effect sizes using partial eta squared (η). Medium to large improvements in unhealthy days, depressive symptoms, sleep, quality of life, and confidence/self-efficacy were found favoring the T-CHAT group. Recruitment and retention strategies were successful, with lessons learned for future studies. Further research is warranted to refine and test efficacy of the T-CHAT program to promote healthy independent living among older adults.

Background and Purpose With the growth in the aging population, and shortage of primary care providers, telehealth programs are needed to optimize healthy independent living for older adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a nurse‐led intervention program delivered through a telepresence robot to promote healthy lifestyles and address chronic illness management among older adults living independently in a retirement community. Telepresence robots provide two‐way video‐mediated communication with remote in‐home navigation. Design and Methods Satisfaction and technology evaluation ratings of the Telehealth Community Health Assistance Team (T‐CHAT) program, as well as qualitative data from open‐ended questions, were obtained from 26 older adults and 7 nurse practitioner students. Findings On a scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree, satisfaction ratings were positive for usefulness (M = 3.90), ease of use (M = 4.16), and acceptability (M = 4.06). Technology evaluation ratings were high for all sessions (M = 4.35). Older adults and nurse practitioner students were highly complementary of the program. Areas for improvement were identified. Conclusions The T‐CHAT program demonstrated high ratings for satisfaction (usefulness, ease of use, acceptability) and for evaluation of the telepresence robot technology. Further refinement of the T‐CHAT program is warranted, as is testing outcomes of this potentially viable mode of healthcare delivery. Clinical Relevance Robotics is the wave of the future and provides an innovative mode of delivery to address health promotion and chronic illness management in older adults. Satisfaction and technology evaluation of robotic technology is paramount prior to implementation of such programs into practice.

Population of the world above the age of 65 years is increasing rapidly. Aging causes weakening of human joints which increases constraints on mobility of the body. Sit-to-Stand (STS), an important part of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) is one of the motions that is affected because of weakened joints. With the lack of personal care there is going to be a need for devices which can assist the aging population in STS. We propose the use of a lower-limb exoskeleton as an assistive device. One of the main challenges in this area is to generate a human like reference trajectory for exoskeleton to follow. This paper proposes the use of Genetic Algorithm (GA), to generate reference trajectories for the joint angles for lower limb exoskeleton for STS transition. The fitness function for the GA presented here is constructed based on the fact that for a successful STS center of mass (COM) needs to stay in the area of support. After the trajectory generation a simple controller is proposed to control a 3 degrees of freedom exoskeleton. The dynamics of the system being controlled are modelled as an inverse 3 degrees of freedom pendulum and the equations are derived using the Euler-Lagrange equation. The highly non-linear dynamics are linearized using an input-output feedback linearization technique. A PD controller is presented for this linearized dynamic system and the validation of the controller is done using simulations. Simulation results show that GA successfully generates a human like trajectory which eliminates the need to use motion tracking system for measuring human trajectories.

Approximately 1.5 million senior citizens live under nursing supervision, and most require assistance with at least one or more Activities of Daily Living (ADL). These include transferring in and out of chairs, beds and toilets, which necessitates the ability to perform sit-to-stand transitions. The sit-to-stand transition is a complex full-body activity that requires the synergistic coordination of the upper and lower limbs and trunk. This paper presents a model-based control approach for an exoskeleton device that can provide assistance at the ankle, knee, and hip joints. Validation of the controller is based on simulations on a four-link model of the human body. The results show that the control strategy is successful for different sit-to-stand transition speeds, and when the user is providing only a part of the required torques or has a single weak joint. The results also demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in the presence of modeling error that provides further support for the robustness of this approach.