Predicting depression in older adults - THAW PhD student has paper published in high impact journal

THAW PhD student Jake Andrews and supervisor Professor Rob Harrison have published a paper in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

The paper describes how they used a machine learning approach to build an algorithm that predicts the onset of depression in older people.

The study looked at daily mood scores given by older adults using a touchscreen interface known as NANA – Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing. The model predicted whether or not the Geriatric Depression Scale would assess participants as depressed 10 weeks after they reported their mood using NANA.

Although this is exciting work, it uses data from only 40 older people, so more research is needed before the algorithm can be put to use. The full paper can be read here.

For more information about the research of THAW or this paper, please contact Jake Andrews.

Second annual Technology for Healthy Ageing and Wellbeing (THAW) event a great success.

The second annual Technology for Healthy Ageing and Wellbeing (THAW) event: Healthy ageing within your reach. Shaping new technologies to support mental wellbeing for older people took place last week.

Building on the success of the first event in 2015, more than 50 attendees including professionals, charities, service providers, researchers and older people from across the country joined us for the day in The Diamond to shape new technologies for mental wellbeing.

With a packed agenda the day, led by Professor Arlene Astell and THAW PhD students Jake Andrews, Matt Bennion and Dave Clayton, delegates engaged in a number of activities. The day started with a case study exercise, with each group making recommendations for older people in various situations before sharing ideas with the room.

Activity two “The Future is Now” got the room on their feet excitably testing and feeding back on new technologies including MiRo the companion robot dog, The Pacifica app and Virtual Reality equipment Vive which was kindly borrowed from The Diamond. This interactive element to the day sparked many conversations about the technologies and exciting ideas about how they could evolve in the coming years.

After a well-deserved break and lunchtime networking, we heard from all three THAW PhD students to learn more about their research, findings and progress.

The final activity saw the attendees drawing on what had been discovered throughout the day in a technology invention test. Using a ‘larder’ of different technological devices and solutions, each table worked to co-create a new product or service to support wellbeing in later life before feeding back to the group where the winner: “Virtual Learning Library” was awarded the prize.

The day was a great success with delegate comments including “this event took a refreshing approach to a very informative day”.

The third THAW event will be held in Spring 2017. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to hear first when registration opens, please contact Laura Murray on l.murray@sheffield.ac.uk.

Please see the THAW pages here:

http://www.catch.org.uk/current-project/thaw-technology-healthy-ageing-well/

Join us at our Technology for Healthy Ageing and Wellbeing (THAW) event on Thursday 9th June

Healthy ageing within your reach. Shaping new technologies to support mental wellbeing for older people.

On Thursday 9^th June from 10.00am – 3.30pm, we’re holding the second Technology for Healthy Ageing and Wellbeing (THAW) event in The Diamond (Workroom 1) at the University of Sheffield, Leavygreave Road, S3 7RD.

If you are an older person, health professional, charity, researcher or service provider in Sheffield, we’d love for you to join us.

This workshop will focus on how we involve older people (over 65) in shaping new technologies for mental wellbeing. At the event, you will discover some new technologies that are already being developed for older adults to support mental wellbeing. We will also update you on our own research and ask you to share your knowledge and experiences to help shape new technology in this area.

To confirm your place, or receive more information, please contact Laura Murray on 0114 222 1726 or email l.murray@sheffield.ac.uk.

If you would like to join us but are not confident, let us know and we will try to support you to attend.

Please click here for more information and here for a write up from the 2015 THAW event.