Mapping Movement: Applying Motion Measurement Technologies to the Psychiatric Care of Older Adults

Current Psychiatry Reports volume 20, Article number: 64 (2018) Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Recent advances in technology have changed the landscape of treatment for adults with mental illness. This review highlights technological innovations that may improve care for older adults with mental illness and neurocognitive disorders through the measurement and assessment of physical motion. These technologies include wearable sensors (such as smart watches and Fitbits), passive motion sensors, and smart home models that incorporate both active and passive motion technologies.

Recent Findings

Clinicians have evaluated motion measurement technologies in older adults with depression, dementia, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Results from studies in dementia populations suggest that motion measurement technologies can assist clinicians in diagnosing dementia earlier through the evaluation of gait, balance, and postural kinematics. Motion detection technologies can also be used to identify mood episodes at an earlier stage by detecting subtle behavioral changes.

Summary

Clinicians may use the objective data provided by technologies such as accelerometers to identify illnesses earlier, which may inform treatment decisions. The data may be used as a suitable surrogate marker for detecting depression in older adults, predicting the likelihood of falls, or quantifying physical activity in older adults with chronic mental illnesses or anxiety. Motion-based technologies also have the potential to detect physical activity for older adults residing in nursing homes. Wearable technologies are generally well tolerated in older adults, although the use of new technology and electronic health data could involve privacy and security concerns among this vulnerable population.

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Funding

Brent P. Forester reports grants from Eli Lilly, Biogen, Assurex, Roche, Rogers Family Foundation, and National Institute of Aging.

Ipsit V. Vahia reports a grant from Once Upon a Time Foundation and honoraria from the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Mail stop 234, Belmont, MA, 02451, USA

    Stephanie Collier, Patrick Monette, Katherine Hobbs, Edward Tabasky & Brent P. Forester

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Stephanie Collier, Brent P. Forester & Ipsit V. Vahia

  3. Boston VA Medical Center, Brockton, MA, USA

    Edward Tabasky

  4. Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Mail stop 234, Belmont, MA, 02451, USA

    Ipsit V. Vahia

Authors
  1. Stephanie Collier
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  2. Patrick Monette
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  3. Katherine Hobbs
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  4. Edward Tabasky
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Correspondence to Ipsit V. Vahia.

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Conflict of Interest

Stephanie Collier, Patrick Monette, Katherine Hobbs, and Edward Tabasky each declares no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Geriatric Disorders

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Collier, S., Monette, P., Hobbs, K. et al. Mapping Movement: Applying Motion Measurement Technologies to the Psychiatric Care of Older Adults. Curr Psychiatry Rep 20, 64 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0921-z

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Keywords

  • Technology
  • Data
  • Dementia
  • Older adults
  • Motion