CLSA-TECH: Extending the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Platform Through Environmental and Person-based Technologies

Aging populations in Canada and worldwide demand innovative approaches to ensure people can live and age well across and within societies. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) have recently emerged as a potential solution to improve the health, safety and social participation of seniors. These technologies utilize environmental and person-based (i.e. body-worn) sensors, and communications networks to provide important information on the health and care needs of seniors. As well as clinical applications, ICTs offer huge opportunities for gerontological research, particularly in respect to the collection of real-time data on the daily lives and health behaviours of older individuals. The goal of CLSA-TECH will be to exploit the research opportunities afforded by ICTs through a partnership with the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to collect a longitudinal real-time data set that will include both sensor and health data from the homes and communities of older people. This data set will be collected, developed, and stored with the intention of it becoming part of the CLSA platform that researchers can use in their own research programs. Preliminary discussions with various groups and researchers involved in the ICT field, gerontology researchers, and current members of the CLSA have indicated strong interest and support for the idea of CLSA-TECH. The aim of this Planning Grant will be to formally extend these initial consultations and to begin concrete planning of a major new Canada-wide research initiative that will have a global impact. Our planning activities will comprise consultation with key stakeholders and members of the current research community on technology and aging in order to identify and reach a consensus on an optimum pathway for future research.