Introduction
to the pilot
The Free State of Saxony is a federal state in Germany with a population of approximately 4 million. The state’s capital is Dresden.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of physical and mental health has become apparent again. We observed that the psychological impacts of isolation and loss of beloved ones has affected people quite severely, especially amongst older adults.
Description
Objective
The Saxony pilot focuses on strengthening older people’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as on violence prevention in the second half of life.
Target population
Anyone over the age of 50, who is interested in mental health and wellbeing and uses a tablet or smartphone can participate in our study.
Technologies to be used
In order to reach our objective:
- An App will be implemented, which provides scientifically substantiated information on mental health, exercises for relaxation and mindfulness, and important contact information to get further help.
- Samsung smartwatches and smartphones will be used in a sub-study, which examines the influence of additional guidance provided by a health care professional. Thereby, in addition to strengthening mental health, we also aim to increase physical wellbeing by promoting healthy activities as well as recording certain risk behaviors (such as falls or exposure to violence).
Expected impact
Within the scope of the project, we aim to reach a high number of participants in our region. We would like to draw attention to mental health in our target group and strengthen their overall wellbeing.
Ongoing activities
Up to 10,000 users will be involved in the «Low» use case. A standalone app has been developed, which, in addition to the surveys, offers information texts, numerous exercises (for relaxation and mindfulness) as well as addresses of counselling centers and contact points.
In the «Moderate» sub-study, 200 patients are going to be involved. The App will provide individual feedback based on the answers to the questionnaires and combine the functions of smartwatches and smartphones, provided by Samsung. As a result, participants can use the App to strengthen their mental health and assess their physiological parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure, detect their activity and mobility, track their sleep patterns and exercise with biofeedback tasks.
In the «High» sub-study, 100 patients are going to be included. They will use the app, the smartwatches and smartphones. In addition, even more modules will be integrated into the app, one of which will help to detect if subjects fall. A second new module will help with possible violence detection and the subsequent activation of a personalised emergency contact network.
