Page 112 - Petelin, Ana, and Šarabon, Nejc. 2018. Eds. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Znanstvena monografija / Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press
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avje starostnikov | health of the elderly 112 trzak et al., 2014), to whom falls present one of the greatest risks for independ-
ency. ICTs can thus enable home environment and falls’ risk assessment, and
most often fall detectors. The latter are based on sensors, usually attached to
the body or wrist, which continuously monitor individual's activity to detect
a fall and automatically call for help (Pietrzak et al., 2014; Ogonowski et al.,
2016). This increases the confidence and sense of security of frail elderly (17).
One of the electronic fall detection are smart watches (Gjoreski et al., 2016; Ko-
stopoulos et al., 2016).
ICTs can also play an important role in the objective identification of
prefrail and frail people, whereas gait parameters (stride length, double sup-
port, and walking bout duration variability) were shown to be the most sensi-
tive to discriminate frailty levels (Ritt et al., 2017; Schwenk et al., 2015). One of
the ways this data can be obtained from simple measurements in everyday life
is by using a method of gait parameters assessment using two microphones, at-
tached to the body and connected to a smartphone (Wang et al.,2016), or by us-
ing a single dimensional accelerometer, attached to the top of the foot (personal
laboratory experience). For more objective frailty assessment, physical activity
data obtained from the accelerometer can be later combined with clinical indi-
cators (Fontecha et al., 2013).
Social isolation is an important challenge for the elderly (Nicholson, 2012),
and is often associated with depression, re-hospitalization, falls, unhealthy be-
haviours (e.g. excessive, alcohol consumption, and smoking), predominantly
sedentary lifestyles, lack of adherence in pharmacological treatment, increased
susceptibility to infectious diseases, etc. ICTs can thus play an important role
also in tackling social isolation of the elderly, however they are not suitable for
everyone alike (Chen and Schulz, 2016). ICTs can ease the social isolation of
the elderly by connecting them with the outside world, gaining social support,
engaging in interest activities and boosting self-confidence, whereas the posi-
tive effect of ICT use on social connectedness and social support seemed to be
of a short-term (did not last for more than six months after the intervention).
ICTs can play an important role at the individual level, as well as sup-
porting the functions and administration of the health system. Among oth-
ers, the support for health systems are also telecare and telehealth. The most
effective telecare intervention proved to be the telephone follow-up by nurs-
es to improve clinical indicators and to reduce health service use, and in order
of the latter also automated vital signs monitoring (Barlow et al., 2007). Phy-
sicians can use clinical decision support systems to remotely evaluate patients
in adapting therapy, identifying, which patients need more urgent or more de-
tailed examination; the number of visits can be significantly reduced (Cabal-
lero-Ruiz et al., 2017). ICT-based services for the elderly (telegeriatric services)
play an important role in rural and remote communities. They are cost-effec-
tive (Versleijen et al., 2015), but their implementation is slow and fragmented
(Smith and Gray, 2009).
ency. ICTs can thus enable home environment and falls’ risk assessment, and
most often fall detectors. The latter are based on sensors, usually attached to
the body or wrist, which continuously monitor individual's activity to detect
a fall and automatically call for help (Pietrzak et al., 2014; Ogonowski et al.,
2016). This increases the confidence and sense of security of frail elderly (17).
One of the electronic fall detection are smart watches (Gjoreski et al., 2016; Ko-
stopoulos et al., 2016).
ICTs can also play an important role in the objective identification of
prefrail and frail people, whereas gait parameters (stride length, double sup-
port, and walking bout duration variability) were shown to be the most sensi-
tive to discriminate frailty levels (Ritt et al., 2017; Schwenk et al., 2015). One of
the ways this data can be obtained from simple measurements in everyday life
is by using a method of gait parameters assessment using two microphones, at-
tached to the body and connected to a smartphone (Wang et al.,2016), or by us-
ing a single dimensional accelerometer, attached to the top of the foot (personal
laboratory experience). For more objective frailty assessment, physical activity
data obtained from the accelerometer can be later combined with clinical indi-
cators (Fontecha et al., 2013).
Social isolation is an important challenge for the elderly (Nicholson, 2012),
and is often associated with depression, re-hospitalization, falls, unhealthy be-
haviours (e.g. excessive, alcohol consumption, and smoking), predominantly
sedentary lifestyles, lack of adherence in pharmacological treatment, increased
susceptibility to infectious diseases, etc. ICTs can thus play an important role
also in tackling social isolation of the elderly, however they are not suitable for
everyone alike (Chen and Schulz, 2016). ICTs can ease the social isolation of
the elderly by connecting them with the outside world, gaining social support,
engaging in interest activities and boosting self-confidence, whereas the posi-
tive effect of ICT use on social connectedness and social support seemed to be
of a short-term (did not last for more than six months after the intervention).
ICTs can play an important role at the individual level, as well as sup-
porting the functions and administration of the health system. Among oth-
ers, the support for health systems are also telecare and telehealth. The most
effective telecare intervention proved to be the telephone follow-up by nurs-
es to improve clinical indicators and to reduce health service use, and in order
of the latter also automated vital signs monitoring (Barlow et al., 2007). Phy-
sicians can use clinical decision support systems to remotely evaluate patients
in adapting therapy, identifying, which patients need more urgent or more de-
tailed examination; the number of visits can be significantly reduced (Cabal-
lero-Ruiz et al., 2017). ICT-based services for the elderly (telegeriatric services)
play an important role in rural and remote communities. They are cost-effec-
tive (Versleijen et al., 2015), but their implementation is slow and fragmented
(Smith and Gray, 2009).
