UTILIZATION OF WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY TO ASSESS SLEEP AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN AN INPATIENT DEMENTIA POPULATION: A FEASIBILITY STUDY

Abstract

Background: Current self-report and in-clinic assessments of physical activity and sleep are limited as they may provide an inaccurate or narrow scope of a patient’s true day-to-day health. Accumulating research suggests that wearable technology shows promise as a method for monitoring health and providing targeted clinical intervention in older adults. However, most of these studies were conducted in cognitively normal older adults or in outpatient settings. Our objective was to determine the feasibility of utilizing wearable technology to track physical activity and sleep in an inpatient dementia population. Methods: Participants were 14 residents with moderate to advanced dementia at an inpatient memory care facility (53% Female; Age Mean 1⁄4 85.24; CDR Mean 1⁄4 2.24; MoCA Mean1⁄4 6.07). Each resident was outfitted with a FitBit and its daily/nightly wear was monitored by staff. Feasibility was assessed by the percentage of days/nights worn over four months. Monthly averages of the number of steps and relationship to cognitive status are also reported. Results: Compliance with wearable technology generally improved over time and was demonstrated to be excellent (95% of days) for day-time wear and acceptable for night-time wear (68% of days) by Month 4. Number of steps per day did not significantly change between time points (i.e., p > .05), but was correlated with cognitive status at Month 1 (r1⁄4.629) and Month 2 (r1⁄4.571), but not at Month 3 (r1⁄4.102) or Month 4 (r1⁄4.526). Conclusions: The use of wearables for physical activity and sleep monitoring is feasible in an inpatient memory care population. Technology use may have been affected by several factors (e.g., hospitalizations, staff engagement with the intervention). Further longitudinal work needs to be conducted in order to clarify relationships between physical activity, sleep, and cognition in this population along with potential health outcomes (e.g., later hospitalizations, mortality, progression of dementia). TD-P-03 THE EFFECTS OF HOME-BASED COGNITIVE INTERVENTION WITH ROBOTS ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT Geon Ha Kim, Bori. R. Kim, Jee Hyang Jeong, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of South Korea; Ewha Medical Research Institute, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of South Korea; Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of South Korea. Contact e-mail: [email protected]