Tillamook, Oregon, July 12, 2018 – Researchers from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland, Oregon will be speaking about the Collaborative Aging in place Research using Technology (CART) study at the Tillamook Regional Medical Center, 3rd floor Conference Room A, 1000 Third Street, Tillamook, OR 97141 on August 3, 2018. There will be two sessions 11:00 am-12:00 pm and 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
Attendees will learn about the details of the study and eligibility requirements. Local area veterans, social service providers, care providers and medical providers are encouraged to attend.
“Being able to understand how we can enable older adults to remain independent and avoid hospitalizations or transitions into care facilities is an important goal,” said Dr. Lisa Silbert, Principal Investigator for the Veterans Affairs (VA) CART site. “Costs of long-term care services for people who can no longer live independently are rising. New approaches, like CART, are needed to address this challenge.”
The CART study uses nonintrusive in-home activity sensors and other devices, like electronic pillboxes, wearables, and digital scales, to continuously track activity in real-time. These technologies measure activity, mobility, body composition, socialization and cognition. Over time, this system of devices can detect a loss of mobility, decline in cognitive functions or other behavioral changes.
“We’re testing if these technologies can identify meaningful changes in activity patterns, which could lead to a loss of independence or health issues that require medical attention,” said Rachel Wall, VA CART study coordinator. “Ultimately, we want to help veterans remain healthy and independent for longer, especially if they live in areas without easy access to medical care.”
Dr. Lisa Silbert, MD, MCR is a Neurologist at the VA Portland Health Care System. She serves as the Principal Investigator for the VA CART research study. Rachel Wall, MS, CCRP is the CART Study Coordinator for the VA site. For more information about the study, visit: www.carthome.org or contact Rachel Wall at: 503-468-7178 or rachel.wall@va.gov
About the CART Research Study: The CART study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It was developed in partnership between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the Oregon Center for Aging and Technology (ORCATECH), Rush University, the University of Miami, the University of Pennsylvania and Oregon State University. Researchers from the VA, OHSU, Rush University and the University of Miami will recruit 260 subjects across the U.S. during the first phase of the study. Participants will be veterans living in rural areas of the Pacific Northwest, low-income older adults living in section 202 housing in Portland, Oregon, African-American older adults from Chicago, Illinois and African-American and Hispanic-American older adults from Miami, Florida.
A new large-scale digital biomarker study is recruiting veterans from Tillamook County and other rural communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington. CART is testing how digital tools can be used to track the health and wellbeing of older adults as they age in place at home. Through understanding how older adults age, researchers hope to help veterans live independently in their home longer.
