Detection of Early Cognitive Loss From Medication Adherence Behavior
By Leen, Todd; Lu, Zhengdong; Hayes, Tamara; Kaye, Jeffrey; Technology and Aging: Selected Papers from the 2007 International Conference on Technology and Aging (FICCDAT),Publication Date: 2008
Study explored the feasibility of detecting early cognitive loss in older persons from medication-adherence behavior. For the study, 40 independently living participating seniors were divided into two groups based on their memory function as assessed by the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog): a healthy control (HL) group of 19 participants, and a Cognitive Loss (CL) group comprising 21 participants with very mild cognitive loss. Participants were instructed to take a vitamin-C supplement twice daily, one in the morning and one in the evening. Their behavior was monitored for approximately five weeks via an instrumented seven-day pillbox, the MedTracker, which recorded the time of opening of the compartments. Event times were stored in an on-board buffer and transferred from the MedTracker to a computer by Bluetooth wireless every two hours. Study results established that data from relatively unobtrusive behavior monitoring can provide reliable inference of cognitive loss for individuals. Study limitations and implications for further research are discussed.
Published by: IOS Press (Website:http://www.iospress.nl)
Link to text: http://www.orcatech.org/papers/2007/Leen_DetectionofEarly_FICCDAT.pdf
ISBN: 9781586038151
