SBIR-STTR Award

Mismatches between elder capabilities and the level of care provided that create over-support can lead to dependency/excessive disability, loss of functioning, reduced independence. The Human Factors Engineering method of Task Analysis will be used to analyze the dressing activity of daily living (ADL) among residents of Alzheimer's special care units. The product of the effort is the ADL Enhancement of Performance Tool (ADEPT) that assists caregivers in identifying task performance difficulties that require assistance and selection of appropriate intervention strategies (ergonomics and caregiver assistance). This approach enhances the independence of elders and fosters their ability to maintain/retain functioning. The objectives of Phase I are to: l) conduct a Task Analysis of dressing; b) identify intervention techniques that can ameliorate task failures; c) develop ADEPT tool; and d)provide training in use of ADEPT. ADEPT can also be used for community based care, home care, and respite care. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of the tool to achieve overall objectives. Phase II will conduct efficacy trials using the ADEPT tool, integrate ADEPT into formal resident assessment protocols, and integrate additional ADLs. Commercial opportunities include automation of ADEPT and integration in currently automated minimum data set assessment tools.Proposed Commercial Applications:The potential commercial opportunities of the ADEPT tool include special care units, applications to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The tool will also have other applications to elders in sub-acute, respite care and home care settings. Special care units have both a rationale and reimbursement mechanisms for use of ADEPT, and are a rapidly growing sector in long-term care.

Thesaurus Terms:
functional ability, human old age (65+), performance Alzheimer's disease, caregiver, emotional dependency, home health care, method development, nursing home, quality of life clinical research, human subject

The overall goal of the ADEPT project is to enhance the independence, autonomy, safety, and performance of patients with dementia in conducting activities of daily living (ADL). The overall objective of ADEPT development is to enhance patient care in Special Care Units (SCUs) through the further development and testing of a computerized, self-directed, training toot for Nurse Aides (NAs) which enhances their capacity to provide high quality support to patients in the core ADLs of bathing, dressing, and eating. The underlying philosophy for ADEPT development is to apply the principles and methods of human factors engineering (HFE) to the improvement of care for patients with dementia. The major HFE method to be implemented is task analysis to model patient activities in each ADL, and to identify the requirements associated with successful performance of each task. ADEPT allows caregivers to identify those task performance elements that require assistance and provides recommendations for appropriate intervention strategies. This approach enhances the independence of elders, fostering their ability to maintain/retain functioning to the maximum level at which they are capable or motivated to achieve. Furthermore, the tool provides the health care industry with a method for appropriately training staff to match the capabilities and limitations of the elderly with appropriate care provided by Nurse Aides. The Phase I ADEPT project resulted in the development of a prototype tool that incorporated the dressing ADL. ADEPT-It will build on this by improving the prototype toot, increasing it's usability and interactivity by subjecting the tool to usability testing with prospective users, and extending its application by incorporating the eating and bathing ADLs. ADEPT-Il will also incorporate an assessment module to rate appropriateness of NA assistive intervention choices during training.

Thesaurus Terms:
functional ability, human old age (65+), performance, quality of life, technology /technique development Alzheimer's disease, caregiver, emotional dependency, home health care, method development, nursing home, patient care personnel relations clinical research, human subject