The Mobility Monitor: supporting safe mobility in the home environment

Regular physical activity and tailored exercise programs are essential for preventing functional decline in older people and people with chronic diseases. New methods, which allow for monitoring of individual movement parameters over long durations, may be used to enhance the effectiveness of life-style interventions aiming to stimulate safe movement activities in older people. In cooperation with Philips Research and the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), this project aims to develop and apply the "Mobility Monitor", a small wearable movement sensor which can be used to objectify daily activity patterns of older people. The resulting knowledge of individual mobility profiles is used as input into exercise-based interventions which aim to enhance physical functioning and stimulate safe movement activity in older persons.

The first project phases aimed to develop methodological approaches for sensor-based assessments of quality and quantity of mobility related activities. The final project phases aim to apply these methods in sedentary frail old persons. To this purpose an intervention approach has been developed which enables participants to exercise at home and which guides participants in reaching increased levels of physical activity.

The studies that were started in the initial project phase have resulted in new methods for objectifying daily physical activity. Long-term monitoring of mobility related activities (e.g. sitting, rising from a chair, standing, and walking) is possible based on a motion sensor worn on the trunk. In addition, sit-to-stand characteristics associated to strength and power of leg muscles can be determined. The initial studies focused on validity and reliability of the new methods. The possibility to monitor quantitative and qualitative aspects of mobility has been implemented in an innovative intervention approach which aims to improve leg strength, balance, and daily activity based on a home exercise program. Individual progress is monitored by a remote coach, who provides individual feedback based on the monitoring data. A final study has evaluated the feasibility of the new intervention approach as well as its influence on daily activity.