iConnect: Capturing social interactions using wearable technology in residential aged care

Having rich social interactions are beneficial for older adults, especially for those living in residential aged care facilities. Traditionally, these interactions are recorded using questionnaire or observational methodologies. However, these approaches are time consuming and is subject to bias. This innovative project will explore the use of sensory wearable technology to measure social interactions of older adults with their peers and staff in the aged care environment. This methodology has the potential to collect vast amounts of objective data at low cost and enable monitoring and assessment in real-time and real-world conditions.