R3 Telewellness Technologies
Principal Investigator
Tracy Mitzner, Ph.D.
Team
Elena Remillard, M.S., Kara Mumma, B.S/B.A., Laura Rice, Ph.D., MPT, ATP, Jenay Beer, Ph.D.
Students
Lelah Cochran
Partners
Overview
Group exercise classes, such as yoga and Tai Chi, have the potential to provide both physical and social health benefits. However, substantial barriers exist for adults aging with lower-body mobility disabilities to engage in group exercise classes, including lack of transportation to classes, inaccessible buildings where classes are held, and lack of appropriate modifications. Tele-technology, such as video-conferencing software with audio and video exchange, provides the opportunity for people to deliver and attend group exercise classes remotely, with great potential to support people aging with mobility disabilities (Beer, Mitzner, Stuck, & Rogers, 2015).
Building on our earlier TechSAge research on the acceptance and usability of such “Telewellness” technologies, we are using video-based conferencing to translate an in-person, evidence-based Tai Chi class to an online, social experience. The Tele Tai Chi intervention study will explore whether or not the Tele Tai Chi program can increase social interaction and positive health behaviors (i.e., physical exercise frequency) among older adults with long-term mobility disabilities.
Project Status
- Data collection for the Tele Tai Chi study is complete. We want to thank our participants for their involvement. Data analysis is currently underway. Stay tuned for our research findings!
- Hear from participants in the Tele Tai Chi study about their experience in the class.
- The TechSAge Tool, “Guidelines for delivering telewellness programs to older adults with disabilities”, is now available. It includes key considerations in the design and execution of telewellness programs for older adults with disabilities (e.g., software selection, safety, class organization and logistics, social time structure, and technical support).
- Check out our Tele Tai Chi Study poster, presented at the 2022 TechSAge State of the Science Conference:
Select Publications
Mitzner, T.L., Remillard, E.T.; Mumma, K.T. (2022). Research-Driven Guidelines for Delivering Group Exercise Programs via Videoconferencing to Older Adults. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19, 7562. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137562
Beer, J. M., Mackin, T., Mois, G., Koon, L., Datta, A., Rogers, W. A., & Mitzner, T. L. (2021). User attitudes and implementation requirements of a tele-exercise intervention for people aging with lower body mobility impairment, Gerontechnology, 20(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.6.429.09
Wu, X., Mitzner, T. L., Thomas, R. C., Drobina, E.C., Rogers, W. A., & Beer, J. M. (2021). Tele-technology evaluation and user testing with persons aging with long-term mobility disabilities. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. SAGE Publications. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 65(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1071181321651167
Mitzner, T. L. & Remillard, E.T. (2019). How one telewellness project focused on helping older adults with mobility disabilities age in place. The Journal on Active Aging, 18(4), 72-77. https://techsage.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/Telewellness-low%20res.pdf
Mitzner, T. L., Stuck R., Hartley, J. Q., Beer, J. M., & Rogers, W. A. (2017). Acceptance of televideo technology by adults aging with a mobility impairment for health and wellness interventions. Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering, 4, 1-12. 10.1177/2055668317692755
Beer, J. M., Mitzner, T. L., Stuck, R. E., & Rogers, W. A. (2015). Design considerations for technology interventions to support social and physical wellness for older adults with disability. International Journal of Automation and Smart Technology (AUSMT), 5(4), 249-264. 10.4017/gt.2015.14.1.004.00
Wu, X., Thomas, R. C., Drobina, E. C., Mitzner, T. L., & Beer, J. M. (2017). Telepresence heuristic evaluation for adults aging with mobility impairment. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 61(1), 16-20. 10.1177/1541931213601499
Stuck, R. E., Hartley, J. Q., Mitzner, T. L., Beer, J. M., & Rogers, W. A. (2017). Understanding attitudes of adults aging with mobility impairments toward telepresence robots. Proceedings of the 12th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction [Late Breaking Report], 293-294. 10.1145/3029798.3038351
Wu, X., Thomas, R., Drobina, E., Mitzner, T. L., & Beer, J. M. (2017). An evaluation of a telepresence robot: User testing among older Americans with mobility impairment. Proceedings of the 12th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction [Late Breaking Report], 325-326. 10.1145/3029798.303832
Project Alumni
Megan Bayles, B.S., Grace Cha, M.ID., Lawrence Chan, MS-HCI, Jordan Chen, M.S., Tanvi Dange, Saisamhitha Dasari, Lucile Dupuy, Ph.D., Christina Harrington, Ph.D., Jordan Hartley, B.S., Nida Javaid, B.S., Laura Matalenas, Ph.D., Sean McGlynn, Ph.D.,Alexis Pineda, B.S., Ritika Sadalge, B.S., Kaitlyn Shinault, B.S., Rachel Stuck, M.S., & Dann Rhee, B.S.