b'TECH TALKjudgement. It can also shiftattention away from genuinehuman connection. For families, How to be smart about adoption of wearable technologyhaving access to their loved ones data can comfort some but stressAsk questionsa lot of them. How was the device tested? out others. Residents may alsoOn whom? Whats the error rate? Can the company explainfeel uncomfortable being tracked,the algorithm in plain English?especially if they dont fully understand whats being collected or why. In long-term care, where many residentsLook for real evidence, like peer-reviewed research orhave dementia or other cognitiveindependent evaluations.impairments, meaningful consent gets tricky. One persons safetyTry before you buy. Run a small pilot program. See how it affectsfeature is surveillance to another.workflows, staff workload, and resident/family comfort.Good intentions can easily slip into questionable practice.Involve people early. Let residents, families and frontline staff Long-term care organizations needweigh-in before policies are set.strong policies about data ownership, storage and deletion, along with clear communication with residents andThink long-term. These devices need maintenance, updates and families about what is being tracked.training. Make sure youre ready for the ongoing effort.Without that, even the most well-intentioned innovations can backfire, undermining the trust thats essential to good care. And all of this takesmovement in space over time, wecan offer new layers of insight to help significant investment, time, resourceshave been able to describe socialdeliver better care. The challenge and ongoing effort, with a payoff thatengagement, levels of motor agitation,is to explore this potential without isnt always clear. circadian rhythms, and even the risk offalling victim to the hype: technology In my research, I learned quickly thatcontracting infection. I think there is ashould fit into care, not the other way some wearable technologies are muchgreat deal of promise here, supportingaround. So lets be excited about what more feasible than others. Devices thatproactive care planning, improvingwearables can do, but lets also stay require frequent charging or removal,safety, guiding reassessment, andwary. In the end, care isnt just about or that come with high costs, arehelping staff respond more effectivelydata; its about people. LTCTbasically non-starters. Wearables willby identifying emerging risks such as break or get lost, so they need to bedelirium or falls. easily replaced. Residents need to wantAt the same time, Im realistic that there to wear the device, and staff need tois still a long way to go in learning howDr. Andrea Iaboni is a Geriatric buy-in to its value as well, becauseto implement these technologies andPsychiatrist Clinician-Scientist. it wont be useful if its sitting on thealgorithms in ways that truly supportShe is the Medical Division bedside table or in the nursing station.person-centred and compassionateLead in Seniors Mental Health care, while also empowering staff.at the University Health This is why my research focus hasThe next challenge is translating theseNetwork, Medical Director shifted over time, from expensiveearly research successes into everydayof the Specialized Dementia wearables with physiological sensorspractice, ensuring the technologyUnit and Virtual Behavioural to simple location-tracking systemsenhances human relationships at theMedicine Program at Toronto that serve a dual purpose: as a safetyheart of care. Rehab, and a Senior Scientist system (to support buy-in) andat the KITE Research Institute, for data collection. So far, usingWearables have the potential to reshapeToronto Rehab.simple information about residentslong-term care for the better. They www.oltca.com LONG TERM CARE TODAY 45'