JMIR Aging

Little is currently known regarding the feasibility of using a self-guided, remote, web-based platform as the basis for a longitudinal study of aging in community-dwelling older adults (OAs). The current study describes the feasibility, and risk factors for participant drop out, using this approach as part of the web-based Louisiana aging brain study (web-LABrainS).

Voice-based digital health technologies are highly feasible and acceptable tools for supporting older adults. However, their development has rarely focused on caregiving needs and it is often poorly integrated with existing care services, thereby limiting their sustained effect.

Social media engagement among older adults has surged globally, with China's elderly users exceeding 120 million in 2023. However, research remains disproportionately focused on youth. Critically, the dose-response relationship between usage intensity and mental health in this population is poorly quantified, especially in rapidly aging societies like China where 23% of the population will be ≥65 by 2035.

The prevalence of dementia has led to a growing interest in wearable technologies to assist dementia care. Despite their potential, these technologies face low adoption rates, often attributed to poor aesthetic design and insufficient consideration of user experience.

Depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance, and functional disability are interrelated. However, the bidirectional pathways between depression, sleep disturbance, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) disability remain underexplored in China.

Given the rapid development of the digital economy and the sustained proliferation of the Internet, digital engagement in older adults has garnered mounting attention from the academic community. However, research has yet to systematically examine the impact of digital engagement on sleep in this demographic.

First-line management for hip and knee osteoarthritis includes lifestyle treatments, such as exercise and weight loss (if appropriate), whereas joint replacement surgery is recommended only for severe symptoms after these options have been exhausted. However, many people with osteoarthritis hold misconceptions about the condition, leading to lower acceptance of nonsurgical treatments, such as exercise, and the mistaken belief that surgery is their only option. Novel patient education approaches that address these misconceptions are recommended to improve uptake of lifestyle treatments, reduce unnecessary surgery, and improve outcomes for people with osteoarthritis. We developed a 4-week self-directed consumer e-learning course on osteoarthritis management. In a randomized controlled trial, using the course led to immediate and sustained improvements in osteoarthritis knowledge. However, participants’ perspectives on the course and an understanding of how it impacted osteoarthritis beliefs, treatment choices, and outcomes were unknown.

The global aging population and the high incidence of falls among this population highlight the need for effective preventive strategies. Home-based exercise programs, such as the Otago protocol, have demonstrated efficacy in reducing fall risk but often face barriers related to user adherence. Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer promising tools to support health promotion and enhance autonomy in older adults.

Caregivers of frail older adults face substantial challenges, often managing their own health while providing care. To address these issues, we developed the Caregiver Support Model (CSM), a structured approach that uses systematic assessment, personalized intervention planning, and sustained support to address informal family caregivers’ diverse and evolving needs and leverage their resources.

Measuring and promoting healthy ageing at an individual level remains challenging. Promoting healthy longevity requires real-time, personalized tools to assess risk and guide interventions in clinical practice.

Global aging presents significant socio-economic and health challenges, particularly for older adults who face an increased risk of chronic diseases and reduced physical activity levels. Although physical activity is crucial for maintaining health, most older adults do not meet the recommended guidelines. Gamification and mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer innovative solutions to motivate physical activity; however, research focusing on older adults is limited, especially regarding the effectiveness and sustainability of such interventions.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may affect up to 20% of people over 65. Global incidence of MCI is increasing, and technology is being explored for early intervention. Theories of technology adoption (TA) predict that useful and easy-to-use solutions will have higher rates of adoption, however these models do not specifically consider older people with cognitive impairments, or the unique human-computer interaction (HCI) challenges posed by MCI. There are gaps in understanding the combined impacts of aging and cognitive impairment on factors affecting TA for older people with MCI, and it is not clear how MCI impacts HCI and device and interaction modality preferences for this population.