URI_Research_Magazine_2010-2011_Melissa-McCarthy

multi- and interdisciplinary research

Leaving Love Notes for The Elderly to Exercise

The health challenges affecting those 65 years old and up, particularly the problems of the very old, have long interested Patricia Burbank, a noted professor in the University of Rhode Island (URI) College of Nursing. People in their 80’s and 90’s need to exercise every bit as much as younger people and they get just as many benefits, Burbank noted. Even if someone has never exercised before, if he or she starts an exercise program late in life, they will realize noticeable health improvements in a relatively short period of time. “It’s never too late to start to exercise,” said Burbank, noting that if she could make any one health recommendation, it would be that. With the baby boomer generation aging, and technology making people more sedentary than ever, Burbank has been researching methods to get older people moving. And, in an interdisciplinary research effort, she is collaborating with Ying Sun, a professor in URI’s College of Engineering, she thinks she has found a way. The solution is a small wearable device, which older people can use to remind them to exercise. Burbank and Sun applied for a patent for the device, it resembles a pedometer and plays recorded messages from friends and relatives, suggesting the wearer stretch, take a walk or even just raise their legs a few times, if he or she has been immobile for too long. Burbank said her 97-year-old Aunt Ruth inspired the invention. She lives alone in her own home, and to help keep in touch with her, and remind her that she is loved, Burbank gave her an answering machine for her 90th birthday, which the older woman grew to love. Burbank called every day and left messages often, which her aunt played over and over again. According to Burbank, that’s when the proverbial light

bulb went off. “I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if I sent messages reminding her to exercise?” she recalled. With this idea, Burbank went to Sun, who designed the device in his engineering lab. Burbank and Sun are applying for a grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer grant program, which supports innovative research with the potential for commercial development, to make six devices and test them in a small pilot study. If funded, this first phase of the project will likely be followed by a second grant of $750,000, again from the National Institutes of Health, to find a manufacturer, who will make approximately 200 devices for further study. Nursing, by definition, is an interdisciplinary field since it pulls together so many different areas of expertise, Burbank noted, adding she is accustomed to collaborating with colleagues in the health and behavioral fields. That said, it was a special pleasure to add an engineer to this interdisciplinary mix, said Burbank, crediting Sun with the expertise to turn her idea into reality. “Actually seeing it drawn out was exciting,” she said. When it comes time to do the pilot study, Burbank said she will likely turn to the Shalom Apartments in Warwick, RI to find participants, since she has worked with the residents there before and found them fun, inspirational and very honest about their experiences. One such project assessed the effectiveness of a fall prevention program that included increasing activity levels. One of the results was an informational booklet for seniors with tips on how to reduce falls.

The University of Rhode Island 30