Piloting a Smart Rollator: User Experiences with Technology-Related Motivation and Physical Activity

Tage Orenius; Susanna Paloniemi; Heikki Hurri; Olli Kuusisto; Leena Ristolainen; Antti Tolonen; Anu Seisto; Heba Sourkatti; Anna Sachinopoulou; Tapio Leppänen; Luc Cluitmans; Timo Urhemaa; Anne Railo-Granfelt; Angelos Balatsas-Lekkas; Mark Van Gils

doi:10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01

Piloting a Smart Rollator: User Experiences with Technology-Related Motivation and Physical Activity

Tage Orenius, Susanna Paloniemi, Heikki Hurri, Olli Kuusisto, Leena Ristolainen, Antti Tolonen, Anu Seisto, Heba Sourkatti, Anna Sachinopoulou, Tapio Leppänen, Luc Cluitmans, Timo Urhemaa, Anne Railo-Granfelt, Angelos Balatsas-Lekkas, Mark Van Gils

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Abstract

Background: Improved life expectancy combined with suboptimal physical activity (PA) represents an increasingly salient public health challenge among the elderly. PA in late life is associated with fewer health problems in old age. Assistive information and commu-nication technology might improve PA and alleviate health problems among the elderly. Objective: This pilot study aimed to quantitatively measure the motivational aspects re-lated to rollator use and, by using qualitative interviews, outline how a Smart Rollator solu-tion would motivate older adults to increase their PA in their everyday lives. Method: A total of 19 subjects between the ages of 63 and 91 years participated in the study. Half of the participants started in a setting in which the application did not provide feedback to the user, and the other half received feedback. A transition occurred (ordinary rollator to Smart Rollator and vice versa) after two months of usage. Motivational aspects were meas-ured before the use of the rollator and after four months. Semi-structured qualitative inter-views were conducted with 10 participants to acquire information about their experiences. Results: On the motivation questionnaire, self-perceived mental vitality showed a signifi-cant decrease at follow-up, but the total score did not change. Three different types of Smart Rollator users were identified based on the interview data: enthusiastic, practical, and disappointed users. The user types differed from each other, especially regarding user experiences concerning the smart features and intelligent features of the rollator. Conclusion: We conclude that the individual variations in terms of benefiting from the use of the Smart Rollator were large and that some users reported clear advantages using the Smart Rollator. The Smart Rollator elicited emotional reactions and affection, as well as frustration if the user was not able to benefit from the Smart Rollator as expected. Larger sample size is warranted to thoroughly specify the relations between the use of a Smart Rollator, user experiences, and PA.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-10
Number of pages	10
Journal	Gerontechnology
Volume	20
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01
Publication status	Published - 2021
Publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Funding

The research project received the approval (HUS/491/2018) of the Ethical Committee of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS). Each participant was given an information form, and the research assistant read it to them and clarified the course of the study, after which they provided their consent to participate. This project was financed by the Academy of Finland (313898). We thank the occupational therapists Johanna Kuisma and Salla Tahkolahti at Laakso Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, for helping with the recruitment of participants. We warmly thank psychologist Esko Sil?n for his help in structuring and conducting qualitative interviews. An oral presentation of the results of the study has been provided: Paloniemi S. ?Does Smart Rollator support the daily lives of elderly adults?? At research days for adult education. Rovaniemi, Finland 13-14 February 2020. The research project received the approval (HUS/491/2018) of the Ethical Committee of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS). Each participant was given an information form, and the research assistant read it to them and clarified the course of the study, after which they provided their consent to participate. This project was financed by the Academy of Finland (313898). We thank the occupational therapists Johanna Kuisma and Salla Tahkolahti at Laakso Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, for helping with the recruitment of participants. We warmly thank psychologist Esko Silén for his help in structuring and conducting qualitative interviews. An oral presentation of the results of the study has been provided: Paloniemi S. “Does Smart Rollator support the daily lives of elderly adults?” At research days for adult education. Rovaniemi, Finland 13-14 February 2020.

Keywords

motivation
older adults
physical activity
Rehabilitation
Smart Rollator

Publication forum classification

Publication forum level 1

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Biomedical Engineering
Gerontology
Geriatrics and Gerontology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01

407cbfbfa16f41419cba27ecaab32c4bFinal published version, 409 KB

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202203012249

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Orenius, T., Paloniemi, S., Hurri, H., Kuusisto, O., Ristolainen, L., Tolonen, A., Seisto, A., Sourkatti, H., Sachinopoulou, A., Leppänen, T., Cluitmans, L., Urhemaa, T., Railo-Granfelt, A., Balatsas-Lekkas, A., & Gils, M. V. (2021). Piloting a Smart Rollator: User Experiences with Technology-Related Motivation and Physical Activity. Gerontechnology, 20(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01

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abstract = "Background: Improved life expectancy combined with suboptimal physical activity (PA) represents an increasingly salient public health challenge among the elderly. PA in late life is associated with fewer health problems in old age. Assistive information and commu-nication technology might improve PA and alleviate health problems among the elderly. Objective: This pilot study aimed to quantitatively measure the motivational aspects re-lated to rollator use and, by using qualitative interviews, outline how a Smart Rollator solu-tion would motivate older adults to increase their PA in their everyday lives. Method: A total of 19 subjects between the ages of 63 and 91 years participated in the study. Half of the participants started in a setting in which the application did not provide feedback to the user, and the other half received feedback. A transition occurred (ordinary rollator to Smart Rollator and vice versa) after two months of usage. Motivational aspects were meas-ured before the use of the rollator and after four months. Semi-structured qualitative inter-views were conducted with 10 participants to acquire information about their experiences. Results: On the motivation questionnaire, self-perceived mental vitality showed a signifi-cant decrease at follow-up, but the total score did not change. Three different types of Smart Rollator users were identified based on the interview data: enthusiastic, practical, and disappointed users. The user types differed from each other, especially regarding user experiences concerning the smart features and intelligent features of the rollator. Conclusion: We conclude that the individual variations in terms of benefiting from the use of the Smart Rollator were large and that some users reported clear advantages using the Smart Rollator. The Smart Rollator elicited emotional reactions and affection, as well as frustration if the user was not able to benefit from the Smart Rollator as expected. Larger sample size is warranted to thoroughly specify the relations between the use of a Smart Rollator, user experiences, and PA.",

keywords = "motivation, older adults, physical activity, Rehabilitation, Smart Rollator",

author = "Tage Orenius and Susanna Paloniemi and Heikki Hurri and Olli Kuusisto and Leena Ristolainen and Antti Tolonen and Anu Seisto and Heba Sourkatti and Anna Sachinopoulou and Tapio Lepp{\"a}nen and Luc Cluitmans and Timo Urhemaa and Anne Railo-Granfelt and Angelos Balatsas-Lekkas and Gils, {Mark Van}",

note = "Funding Information: The research project received the approval (HUS/491/2018) of the Ethical Committee of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS). Each participant was given an information form, and the research assistant read it to them and clarified the course of the study, after which they provided their consent to participate. This project was financed by the Academy of Finland (313898). We thank the occupational therapists Johanna Kuisma and Salla Tahkolahti at Laakso Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, for helping with the recruitment of participants. We warmly thank psychologist Esko Sil?n for his help in structuring and conducting qualitative interviews. An oral presentation of the results of the study has been provided: Paloniemi S. ?Does Smart Rollator support the daily lives of elderly adults?? At research days for adult education. Rovaniemi, Finland 13-14 February 2020. Funding Information: The research project received the approval (HUS/491/2018) of the Ethical Committee of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS). Each participant was given an information form, and the research assistant read it to them and clarified the course of the study, after which they provided their consent to participate. This project was financed by the Academy of Finland (313898). We thank the occupational therapists Johanna Kuisma and Salla Tahkolahti at Laakso Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, for helping with the recruitment of participants. We warmly thank psychologist Esko Sil{\'e}n for his help in structuring and conducting qualitative interviews. An oral presentation of the results of the study has been provided: Paloniemi S. “Does Smart Rollator support the daily lives of elderly adults?” At research days for adult education. Rovaniemi, Finland 13-14 February 2020. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021. All Rights Reserved.",

year = "2021",

doi = "10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01",

language = "English",

volume = "20",

pages = "1--10",

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Orenius, T, Paloniemi, S, Hurri, H, Kuusisto, O, Ristolainen, L, Tolonen, A, Seisto, A, Sourkatti, H, Sachinopoulou, A, Leppänen, T, Cluitmans, L, Urhemaa, T, Railo-Granfelt, A, Balatsas-Lekkas, A & Gils, MV 2021, 'Piloting a Smart Rollator: User Experiences with Technology-Related Motivation and Physical Activity', Gerontechnology, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01

TY - JOUR

T1 - Piloting a Smart Rollator

T2 - User Experiences with Technology-Related Motivation and Physical Activity

AU - Orenius, Tage

AU - Paloniemi, Susanna

AU - Hurri, Heikki

AU - Kuusisto, Olli

AU - Ristolainen, Leena

AU - Tolonen, Antti

AU - Seisto, Anu

AU - Sourkatti, Heba

AU - Sachinopoulou, Anna

AU - Leppänen, Tapio

AU - Cluitmans, Luc

AU - Urhemaa, Timo

AU - Railo-Granfelt, Anne

AU - Balatsas-Lekkas, Angelos

AU - Gils, Mark Van

N1 - Funding Information: The research project received the approval (HUS/491/2018) of the Ethical Committee of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS). Each participant was given an information form, and the research assistant read it to them and clarified the course of the study, after which they provided their consent to participate. This project was financed by the Academy of Finland (313898). We thank the occupational therapists Johanna Kuisma and Salla Tahkolahti at Laakso Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, for helping with the recruitment of participants. We warmly thank psychologist Esko Sil?n for his help in structuring and conducting qualitative interviews. An oral presentation of the results of the study has been provided: Paloniemi S. ?Does Smart Rollator support the daily lives of elderly adults?? At research days for adult education. Rovaniemi, Finland 13-14 February 2020. Funding Information: The research project received the approval (HUS/491/2018) of the Ethical Committee of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS). Each participant was given an information form, and the research assistant read it to them and clarified the course of the study, after which they provided their consent to participate. This project was financed by the Academy of Finland (313898). We thank the occupational therapists Johanna Kuisma and Salla Tahkolahti at Laakso Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, for helping with the recruitment of participants. We warmly thank psychologist Esko Silén for his help in structuring and conducting qualitative interviews. An oral presentation of the results of the study has been provided: Paloniemi S. “Does Smart Rollator support the daily lives of elderly adults?” At research days for adult education. Rovaniemi, Finland 13-14 February 2020. Publisher Copyright: © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Background: Improved life expectancy combined with suboptimal physical activity (PA) represents an increasingly salient public health challenge among the elderly. PA in late life is associated with fewer health problems in old age. Assistive information and commu-nication technology might improve PA and alleviate health problems among the elderly. Objective: This pilot study aimed to quantitatively measure the motivational aspects re-lated to rollator use and, by using qualitative interviews, outline how a Smart Rollator solu-tion would motivate older adults to increase their PA in their everyday lives. Method: A total of 19 subjects between the ages of 63 and 91 years participated in the study. Half of the participants started in a setting in which the application did not provide feedback to the user, and the other half received feedback. A transition occurred (ordinary rollator to Smart Rollator and vice versa) after two months of usage. Motivational aspects were meas-ured before the use of the rollator and after four months. Semi-structured qualitative inter-views were conducted with 10 participants to acquire information about their experiences. Results: On the motivation questionnaire, self-perceived mental vitality showed a signifi-cant decrease at follow-up, but the total score did not change. Three different types of Smart Rollator users were identified based on the interview data: enthusiastic, practical, and disappointed users. The user types differed from each other, especially regarding user experiences concerning the smart features and intelligent features of the rollator. Conclusion: We conclude that the individual variations in terms of benefiting from the use of the Smart Rollator were large and that some users reported clear advantages using the Smart Rollator. The Smart Rollator elicited emotional reactions and affection, as well as frustration if the user was not able to benefit from the Smart Rollator as expected. Larger sample size is warranted to thoroughly specify the relations between the use of a Smart Rollator, user experiences, and PA.

AB - Background: Improved life expectancy combined with suboptimal physical activity (PA) represents an increasingly salient public health challenge among the elderly. PA in late life is associated with fewer health problems in old age. Assistive information and commu-nication technology might improve PA and alleviate health problems among the elderly. Objective: This pilot study aimed to quantitatively measure the motivational aspects re-lated to rollator use and, by using qualitative interviews, outline how a Smart Rollator solu-tion would motivate older adults to increase their PA in their everyday lives. Method: A total of 19 subjects between the ages of 63 and 91 years participated in the study. Half of the participants started in a setting in which the application did not provide feedback to the user, and the other half received feedback. A transition occurred (ordinary rollator to Smart Rollator and vice versa) after two months of usage. Motivational aspects were meas-ured before the use of the rollator and after four months. Semi-structured qualitative inter-views were conducted with 10 participants to acquire information about their experiences. Results: On the motivation questionnaire, self-perceived mental vitality showed a signifi-cant decrease at follow-up, but the total score did not change. Three different types of Smart Rollator users were identified based on the interview data: enthusiastic, practical, and disappointed users. The user types differed from each other, especially regarding user experiences concerning the smart features and intelligent features of the rollator. Conclusion: We conclude that the individual variations in terms of benefiting from the use of the Smart Rollator were large and that some users reported clear advantages using the Smart Rollator. The Smart Rollator elicited emotional reactions and affection, as well as frustration if the user was not able to benefit from the Smart Rollator as expected. Larger sample size is warranted to thoroughly specify the relations between the use of a Smart Rollator, user experiences, and PA.

KW - motivation

KW - older adults

KW - physical activity

KW - Rehabilitation

KW - Smart Rollator

U2 - 10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01

DO - 10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.420.01

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85108559200

SN - 1569-1101

VL - 20

SP - 1

EP - 10

JO - Gerontechnology

JF - Gerontechnology

IS - 2

ER -

Piloting a Smart Rollator: User Experiences with Technology-Related Motivation and Physical Activity

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

Publication forum classification

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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