Evaluating Personalized Beneficial Interventions in the Daily Lives of Older Adults Using a Camera

TL;DR

This study uses a privacy-preserving camera system to objectively measure the impact of personalized daily interventions on older adults' physical behaviors over 8 weeks.

Contribution

It introduces a non-contact camera-based method for personalized monitoring and evaluation of beneficial interventions in older adults' daily lives.

Findings

Significant behavioral improvements observed during interventions

Effective use of computer vision for activity assessment

Validation of personalized interventions' benefits

Abstract

Beneficial daily activity interventions have been shown to improve both the physical and mental health of older adults. However, there is a lack of robust objective metrics and personalized strategies to measure their impact. In this study, two older adults aged over 65, living in Edinburgh, UK, selected their preferred daily interventions (mindful meals and art crafts), which are then assessed for effectiveness. The total monitoring period across both participants was 8 weeks. Their physical behaviours were continuously monitored using a non-contact, privacy-preserving camera-based system. Postural and mobility statistics were extracted using computer vision algorithms and compared across periods with and without the interventions. The results demonstrate significant behavioural changes for both participants, highlighting the effectiveness of both these activities and the monitoring system.