Exploring everyday activity and function in older adults with chronic pain: New insights with new technology

Introduction: Chronic pain can affect older individuals in numerous ways, including negatively affecting physical activity and function. Aims: There were two aims to this study; to explore the day-to-day patterns of activity, function and experiences of older adults with chronic pain, and to explore the usability, acceptance and experience of the measurement tools used in the study. Methods: All participants were over 65 years old, and all were living in the community with persistent pain (pain for more than 3 months). Individuals took part in the study for a period of 7 days in which they wore 2 pieces of technology; a LifeShirt and a Sensecam. The LifeShirt is a vest with inbuilt sensors,worn under normal clothing, which allows continuous recording of physical and physiological activity. The Sensecam is a small wide-angle camera worn on the body that automatically takes pictures of the person’s environment every 30 seconds, thus acting as a visual diary. The participants also completed a daily diary (based on the Day Reconstruction Method). Participants took part in interviews after the study period in order to gather contextual information regarding pain, activity and daily function, and to acquire information about their experiences and acceptance of using the methods throughout the study. Results: Results to date show a range of patterns of activity and function, and demonstrate a good degree of acceptance of the methods. Discussion: The innovative method allows a deeper understanding of activity and daily function of older adults living with chronic pain. As data collection progresses the emerging themes will be explored in more depth.