DigiHEALTH: Suite of Digital Solutions for Long-Term Healthy and Active Aging

Abstract

The population in the world is aging dramatically, and therefore, the economic and social effort required to maintain the quality of life is being increased. Assistive technologies are progressively expanding and present great opportunities; however, given the sensitivity of health issues and the vulnerability of older adults, some considerations need to be considered. This paper presents DigiHEALTH, a suite of digital solutions for long-term healthy and active aging. It is the result of a fruitful trajectory of research in healthy aging where we have understood stakeholders’ needs, defined the main suite properties (that would allow scalability and interoperability with health services), and codesigned a set of digital solutions by applying a continuous reflexive cycle. At the current stage of development, the digital suite presents eight digital solutions to carry out the following: (a) minimize digital barriers for older adults (authentication system based on face recognition and digital voice assistant), (b) facilitate active and healthy living (well-being assessment module, recommendation system, and personalized nutritional system), and (c) mitigate specific impairments (heart failure decompensation, mobility assessment and correction, and orofacial gesture trainer). The suite is available online and it includes specific details in terms of technology readiness level and specific conditions for usage and acquisition. This live website will be continually updated and enriched with more digital solutions and further experiences of collaboration.

Developing the Healthy Actions and Lifestyles to Avoid Dementia or Hispanos y el ALTo a la Demencia program

“…Educational interventions have been shown to improve knowledge and belief in the importance of health behaviors for dementia among healthy adults, adults at‐risk of dementia, and among dementia patient caregivers 15–17 . However, there is limited availability for evidence‐informed tool(s) that deliver quality education about dementia risk reduction and that incorporate other aspects such as increasing self‐efficacy and goal setting to support positive behavior change 18–22 . These tools would be particularly helpful in primary care and geriatric health clinics where fast‐paced health care delivery and limited resources often limit effective education and support for behavioral modification 23 .…”

“… 15 , 16 , 17 However, there is limited availability for evidence‐informed tool(s) that deliver quality education about dementia risk reduction and that incorporate other aspects such as increasing self‐efficacy and goal setting to support positive behavior change. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 These tools would be particularly helpful in primary care and geriatric health clinics where fast‐paced health care delivery and limited resources often limit effective education and support for behavioral modification. 23 Equally important would be offering these tools to the public to complement awareness campaigns and further galvanize the public's interest in and commitment toward dementia prevention.…”