Abstract:
Nearly half of adults over 75 experience functional limitations, often worsened by physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. There is an inherent need for innovative technologies—such as wearables, sensors, and AI systems—to detect early declines and support timely interventions that maintain independence and quality of life. This webinar explored potential innovative approaches that are being developed through the support of the MassAITC pilot program to support functional health and independence among older adults through wearable and ambient sensor technologies.
Dr. Amanda Paluch (University of Massachusetts) presented her pilot study on detecting frailty in home environments using non-invasive, whole-room body heat sensors (Butlr Care). Her team’s interdisciplinary work aims to develop low-burden, contactless algorithms capable of continuously monitoring movement patterns to detect early signs of frailty and support interventions that promote aging in place.
Dr. Jennifer Blankenship (VivoSense) highlighted efforts to develop and validate digital biomarkers of real-world function for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. She discussed the limitations of current clinical endpoints and how wearable actigraphy sensors can offer sensitive, continuous measures of mobility and functional independence. The project’s goal is to achieve regulatory qualification for these measures to inform drug development and personalized care.
The presentations underscored challenges and opportunities in deploying sensor-based technologies, including algorithmic bias in clinical populations, patient acceptance of in-home monitoring, and the integration of such technologies into care models and clinical trials. The session concluded with a moderated discussion on anticipated barriers to adoption and future directions for expanding sensor applications beyond frailty and functional health monitoring.
About the Speakers:
- Margie Lachman, PhD, Minnie and Harold Fierman Professor of Psychology at Brandeis University
- Professor Lachman’s research is in the area of lifespan development with a focus on midlife and later life. Her current work is aimed at identifying psychosocial (e.g., sense of control, social support) and behavioral (e.g., physical exercise) factors that can protect against, minimize, or compensate for declines in cognition (e.g., memory) and health. She is conducting studies to examine long-term predictors of psychological and physical health, laboratory-based experiments to identify psychological and physiological processes involved in aging-related changes, and intervention studies to enhance performance and promote adaptive functioning.
- Amanda Paluch, PhD, Assistant Professor School of Public Health & Health Sciences at UMass Amherst
- Amanda is a physical activity epidemiologist and kinesiologist with a focus on advancing the measurement of physical activity using wearable technology. She have expertise in applying physical activity and fitness measurement in the setting of observational epidemiologic studies or as a tool for interventions. Her research focuses on populations at high risk or at early stages of chronic disease. Her long term goal is to reduce the burden of chronic diseases through technology assisted physical activity monitoring and promotion that can be disseminated through clinicians and population level efforts.
- Jen Blankenship, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at VivoSense
- Jen is a clinical and translational scientist with a deep interest in wearable technology (e.g., continuous glucose monitors and accelerometers) led her to us. The main focus of Jen’s studies is the interaction between physical activity and eating patterns, sleep, and metabolism in the real-world environment. Her ultimate goals are centered around improving health and preventing disease using ecologically relevant study designs.