The long-term objective of this project is to create a sensor-based monitoring technology for use by caregivers,clinicians, and individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or Alzheimer's disease related dementia (AD/ADRD)to mitigate the risk of pressure injuries related to prolonged sitting. Pressure injury prevalence isdisproportionately high in the aging AD/ADRD population due to physiological, cognitive, and mobility changesthat lead to increased sitting time and reduced awareness of risk factors. Impact on the AD/ADRD population isdevastating because it leads to pain that often is untreated, hospital stays which further reduce function,increase likelihood of needing additional care support, and earlier death than those who do not experience apressure injury. This project specifically addresses external risk factors of pressure, shear, movement, andmicroclimate at the sitting surface by providing feedback to the caregiver in real-time from a multi-sensingsystem embedded in a seat cover. These factors can't be readily "seen" by the caregiver and apathy mayprevent someone with AD/ADRD from seeking assistance to mitigate a problem, the feedback will increasecaregiver awareness so that they can take action before pressure injuries appear. While sensors exist to detectmoisture or fall risk, none continuously detect and display meaningful data to the caregiver about pressure,shear, movement or microclimate factors directly between the person and their sitting surface. The goal of thisproject is to engage with caregivers of individuals with AD/ADRD and stakeholders who are experts in sensortechnology, pressure injury prevention, and medical device innovation to design an acceptable, usable, andfeasible multi-sensing seat cover and associated software integration. The research design uses mixedmethods and includes the use of a survey, a series of focus groups with caregivers who have had experiencewith pressure injuries in the AD/ADRD population, and usability assessments. An expert stakeholder designreview team will meet throughout the project to review user requirements from caregivers and build acomprehensive set of design requirements. Prototype development of the multi-sensor technology will occurthroughout the project with consideration of caregiver and stakeholder requirement feedback. The resultingproof-of-concept multi-sensing seat cover and updated user-facing software will undergo initial performancetesting for accuracy, durability, and validity. This project is based on the premise that by providing day-longmeaningful detail about the conditions directly between a person with AD/ADRD and their sitting surface,caregivers will have access to information that currently does not exist, and they can then take appropriatetherapeutic action to mitigate risks. This system has the potential to reduce pressure injury prevalencetherapeutically through awareness, early detection, and risk mitigation.
Public Health Relevance Statement: PROJECT NARRATIVE
The proposed project will develop a sensor system that is placed between a person and their sitting surface to
help caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (AD/ADRD) identify external risk factors
that lead to pressure injuries during prolonged sitting. The sensors will identify pressure, shear, and microclimate
factors directly between a person at the seat interface. Early detection helps caregivers and clinicians take action
to mitigate the risk, especially important for people with AD/ADRD who may not recognize the risk or who may
experience apathy. The sensors will be integrated with an existing robust software platform that displays
information in a meaningful way to the caregiver in real-time. The resulting efforts will translate to improved
caregiver efficacy and reduced pressure injury risk.
Project Terms: <21+ years old>
