Enhancing Physical Activity of Walking and Dual-Tasking among Older Adults Using Personalized Navigation Practice

Abstract

Older adults experience a decrease in physical ability which may lead to psychological issues, poor quality of life and even death. Therefore, it is very important for them to maintain their physical prowess by encouraging the performance of physical activity. Previous research has focused primarily on physical activity as a single task without consideration of numerous additional coinciding events that almost always co-occur. The most common concomitant, secondary task (i.e., dual-task) is related to the cognitive requirements associated with daily activity pursuits. Thus, any procedure designed to promote greater physical activity should include complex tasks. In addition, the older population is diverse, and therefore, physical activity should be personalized according to individual capabilities and skills. We intend to combine navigation as a secondary task to walking, as a task "instructor", guiding the users through their personalized routes and also provide an added value of doing physical activity outside the home.