Dr. Wendy Rogers spoke about designing robots that support successful aging
Wendy Rogers at the 2021 McCristal Lecture.
Living independently requires the ability to perform what are called Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs. Fundamental ADLs include things such as bathing, eating, getting dressed, and so on. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, or IADLs, include more complex activities such as paying bills, preparing meals, managing medications, and the like. In 1998, Dr. Wendy Rogers, Khan Professor of Applied Health Sciences, defined a third level of Activities of Daily Living that she called Enhanced Activities of Daily Living, or EADLs. Activities such as volunteering, taking part in community activities and engaging in hobbies enhance the quality of our lives.
Dr. Rogers, the 2021 King McCristal Distinguished Scholar in the College of Applied Health Sciences, focused her McCristal Lecture on designing robots that support successful aging related to the different kinds of activities. The lecture took place at the Fall College Meeting on August 17.
A world renowned scholar in the area of human factors and aging, Dr. Rogers has been collaborating on research related to human-robot interaction for more than 10 years, going back to her days as a professor of psychology and a principal investigator in the NIH-funded Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Since joining AHS in 2017, she has conducted research under the auspices of the Collaborations in Health, Aging, Research, and Technology, or CHART, initiative, and also directs the recently opened McKechnie Family LIFE Home, where much of the research on health and wellness robots takes place.
When designing robots for successful aging, she said, it is important to consider the entire system. “We need to consider the characteristics of the human—their demographics, abilities, attitudes, and experiences,” she said. “We also need to think about the characteristics of the robot. What does it look like? Does it have a personality? What are its capabilities and functionalities? To what degree is it autonomous or being controlled?”
Developers also need to consider the characteristics of the task the robot and human are trying to do together, things such as how critical the task is, and whether it requires the robot and human to be co-located. Finally, the context of the interaction must be considered, whether the task is home-based or in a public setting, for example.
“We also need to think about the characteristics of the robot. What does it look like? Does it have a personality? What are its capabilities and functionalities? To what degree is it autonomous or being controlled?”
Wendy Rogers
2021 King McCristal Distinguished Scholar in the College of Applied Health Sciences
Dr. Rogers and her colleagues currently are investigating usability and other issues related to a robot developed by Hello Robot called Stretch. “We’ve been doing task analyses and prototyping different types of devices that Stretch could have at the end of its arm to perform different tasks, and comparing different types of control interfaces and control by different users,” she said. University of Illinois students soon will have the opportunity to participate in a competition in which they generate ideas for using Stretch to help people aging with long-term disabilities. The prize will be time with Stretch in the LIFE Home to further develop their ideas, guided by the LIFE Home’s expert staff.
Other Illinois research related to health and wellness robots includes designing socially assistive robots, robots with soft rather than rigid arms for telehealth applications, and robots that provide wayfinding assistance to individuals with visual impairments.
“We have made huge advancements in robotics in the last decade,” Dr. Rogers said, “but there’s still a lot more to be done.” And, she concluded, the McKechnie Family LIFE Home positions scholars at the University of Illinois really well to explore some of those questions.
Students in the College of Applied Health Sciences have the opportunity to do their internships in a variety of fields. Today, we speak with Cecilia Kattan, a student in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program in KCH, about her internship.
Cecilia Kattan, left, aspires to be a physician’s assistant
Q: Where did you complete your internship and what was your experience?
A: I completed my internship at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department in partnership with the maternal & child health department and community nutrition initiatives. My role at my internship was a hybrid of administration and observation. Some examples of projects I completed are: social media management, breastfeeding incentive program with the peer lactation consultant, coordinating with sponsors for the Mommy and Baby Expo, created an employer breastfeeding friendly certification toolkit, and led a grant proposal and presentation for the Carle HealthMaker Lab. I was also given the opportunity to shadow WIC consultations.
Q: How did you apply for the internship?
A: I applied via the C-UPHD internship website, followed by an interview with the director of the department, Valerie Koress.
Q: What did you learn from the internship?
A: I was given insight on how public health departments operate and allocate resources efficiently. In addition, I got an up-close look into the racial disparities experienced in our community and aided in the progression of initiatives to fill those healthcare gaps.
Q: What was your biggest takeaway from the experience?
A: My biggest takeaway was realizing the different levels of organizations that contribute to community health and the discrepancy in funding.
Q: Is this internship closely related to the field you are hoping to work in?
A: My internship gave me valuable experience working in maternal and child health, since women’s health is an interest of mine. As a future Physician Assistant I will be able to understand the value of non-clinical grassroots initiatives. In addition, community service is one of my intrinsic pillars. Therefore, I hope to participate in some of these initiatives in my future career.
Q: Would you like to share any other information that might be helpful for future I-Health students?
A: You get out what you put into your internship. My role was not clearly defined for me since I was the first intern since the arrival of the new director. Hence, I made it a point to do weekly check-ins with my preceptor, Valerie, to ensure I was being helpful. Remember to use your voice and advocate for yourself to ensure you have a valuable experience.
Students are attending college in a unique environment, and that includes students in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. The AHS communications staff spoke with AHS seniors about online classes, truncated courses and how COVID-19 changed their expectations. Today, we speak with Falguni Deshpande, who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
Photo by caption
Q: Why did you pick I-Health?
A: I was unhappy in my previous major and my sister told me to meet with her previous advisor Beth (Frasca). I met up with Beth on the first day of my sophomore year and saw how welcoming the college of Applied Health Sciences is, which made me realize I wanted to transfer into this college. I knew about I-Health because my sister had majored in it, and I decided on majoring in I-Health because I was interested in expanding my knowledge about health and the ways in which our society and environment influence our health and wellbeing.
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: The (person) that had the most impact on me was my advisor Beth (Frasca). She has always been so supportive of me ever since I transferred into I-Health, and has helped me so much with figuring out my college life and also my future! She is the reason why I was able to make the switch into I-Health and is also the one who encouraged me to apply for the Health Technology master’s program at our university.
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: 3. CHLH 470: Technology, Health, and Aging—this class is what made me interested in the field of health technology! The professor Dr. (Tim) Hale was super amazing and I really enjoyed getting to work with a group on a project where we created a health technology product to solve a health issue.
Q: Did you enter I-Health knowing your career path, or did KCH help you decide?
A: 4. When I transferred into I-Health, my original plan was to go to medical school, but my time in I-Health made me realize how interested I was in helping serve diverse populations and also health technology! After talking with my advisor Beth and other people in I-Health, I decided that I wanted to work in the health care field for a few years before going straight to medical school.
Q: What do you hope to do after you graduate?
A: After I graduate, I will be spending another year at the University of Illinois pursuing a Master of Science in Health Technology. After that, I plan on finding a job in the health care field (hopefully related to health technology) and eventually apply for medical school!
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: My favorite on-campus experiences are probably when I would go and explore new parts of campus that I had never been to before! As a freshman I lived in Snyder Hall on Peabody Dr, and one time I decided to walk with some friends down the road and I saw the Krannert Art Museum! I would definitely recommend going there, along with Japan House at the Arboretum!
Q: What do you miss most because of the pandemic?
A: I miss attending in-person classes and the walk to/between classes. I loved getting to know new people and saying hi to them if I see them on the quad. I also miss getting to hang out with my friends and doing in-person volunteering through my service organization.
Q: What are the biggest changes on campus, pre and during COVID?
A: The biggest change I noticed was the culture of campus. Before COVID, you would always see so many people hanging out outside on the quad, whether it be chilling with friends, playing sports, or studying. Now, many people tend to stay inside because most of their classes are online. During my entire senior year, I only had one in-person class, which was IHLT 475!
Q: What would you say to recommend I-Health to a prospective student?
A: I would tell a prospective student that the I-Health major really gives you a holistic view of health and helps expand your understanding of what health is and how it incorporates the different social determinants of health. If you plan on pursuing a career in the field of health and health care, I-Health is the perfect major for you!
Students are attending college in a unique environment, and that includes students in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. The AHS communications staff spoke with AHS seniors about online classes, truncated courses and how COVID-19 changed their expectations. Today, we speak with Falguni Deshpande, who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
Q: Why did you pick I-Health?
A: I was unhappy in my previous major and my sister told me to meet with her previous advisor Beth (Frasca). I met up with Beth on the first day of my sophomore year and saw how welcoming the college of Applied Health Sciences is, which made me realize I wanted to transfer into this college. I knew about I-Health because my sister had majored in it, and I decided on majoring in I-Health because I was interested in expanding my knowledge about health and the ways in which our society and environment influence our health and wellbeing.
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: The (person) that had the most impact on me was my advisor Beth (Frasca). She has always been so supportive of me ever since I transferred into I-Health, and has helped me so much with figuring out my college life and also my future! She is the reason why I was able to make the switch into I-Health and is also the one who encouraged me to apply for the Health Technology master’s program at our university.
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: 3. CHLH 470: Technology, Health, and Aging—this class is what made me interested in the field of health technology! The professor Dr. (Tim) Hale was super amazing and I really enjoyed getting to work with a group on a project where we created a health technology product to solve a health issue.
Q: Did you enter I-Health knowing your career path, or did KCH help you decide?
A: 4. When I transferred into I-Health, my original plan was to go to medical school, but my time in I-Health made me realize how interested I was in helping serve diverse populations and also health technology! After talking with my advisor Beth and other people in I-Health, I decided that I wanted to work in the health care field for a few years before going straight to medical school.
Q: What do you hope to do after you graduate?
A: After I graduate, I will be spending another year at the University of Illinois pursuing a Master of Science in Health Technology. After that, I plan on finding a job in the health care field (hopefully related to health technology) and eventually apply for medical school!
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: My favorite on-campus experiences are probably when I would go and explore new parts of campus that I had never been to before! As a freshman I lived in Snyder Hall on Peabody Dr, and one time I decided to walk with some friends down the road and I saw the Krannert Art Museum! I would definitely recommend going there, along with Japan House at the Arboretum!
Q: What do you miss most because of the pandemic?
A: I miss attending in-person classes and the walk to/between classes. I loved getting to know new people and saying hi to them if I see them on the quad. I also miss getting to hang out with my friends and doing in-person volunteering through my service organization.
Q: What are the biggest changes on campus, pre and during COVID?
A: The biggest change I noticed was the culture of campus. Before COVID, you would always see so many people hanging out outside on the quad, whether it be chilling with friends, playing sports, or studying. Now, many people tend to stay inside because most of their classes are online. During my entire senior year, I only had one in-person class, which was IHLT 475!
Q: What would you say to recommend I-Health to a prospective student?
A: I would tell a prospective student that the I-Health major really gives you a holistic view of health and helps expand your understanding of what health is and how it incorporates the different social determinants of health. If you plan on pursuing a career in the field of health and health care, I-Health is the perfect major for you!
Systematic reviews have found that religion is associated with decreases in depression, faster recovery from depression, less drug dependence, less drug abuse, better physical health, longer life, and an increased sense of purpose, well-being, hope and optimism
Kristin Godlin is an ordained Presbyterian minister and a chaplain at Carle and OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana. She’s also a PhD candidate in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois.
That confluence gives Godlin a unique perspective in her role, but one she hopes doesn’t remain unique for long. Godlin’s research looks at the connection between religiosity and public health. Godlin, an alum of the Master of Public Health in AHS, said, “From a health standpoint, religion functions primarily as a means of helping people to cope with stress.”
Systematic reviews have found that religion is associated with decreases in depression, faster recovery from depression, less drug dependence, less drug abuse, better physical health, longer life, and an increased sense of purpose, well-being, hope and optimism.
Chaplains provide spiritual and emotional support to patients and their families. While most chaplains are themselves religious, they care for people of all faiths, as well as people who are not religious. Within the context of hospital emergency departments, chaplains additionally serve as a kind of go-between for staff members, patients, and their families. They also facilitate meetings between families and physicians.
But the public health portion of the job is one that is still quite new, even for Godlin. At the time she was board certified as a chaplain, there was an announcement made at the Association of Professional Chaplains’ annual conference that the Templeton Foundation had provided a group of chaplaincy leaders called Transforming Chaplaincy a grant of $4.5 million for the purposes of helping to train chaplains to become more research literate. The idea, Godlin said, was that if chaplains were more research literate, they would be better able to guide and evaluate and advocate for their profession.
The money could be used to encourage chaplaincy training programs to include in their curricula courses and lessons in research methodology and statistics, or how to read and understand research, Godlin said. But also, a significant part of the grant was to enable 16 board-certified chaplains the opportunity to pursue Master of Public Health degrees or Master of Science degrees for the purposes of learning how to not only read research but to generate research to support chaplaincy.
“I didn’t know hardly anything about public health when I started,” Godlin said. “I was a blank slate coming in. I think, particularly now that we have been going through the pandemic, I have a much greater understanding of what public health is all about and why they are approaching things the way they did than I ever would have before. And I really do think that’s an extraordinarily important part of the training, which I didn’t realize at the time I was getting it.”
The connection of religion and public health is particularly timely, Godlin said, because of COVID-19. Godlin recently came across a study which found that religiosity was negatively associated with intention to be vaccinated. “It was a sad commentary on how people who are more religious are less likely to take protective health measures,’ she said. “It caused me to think about how important it is for religious leaders to have an understanding of what public health is all about.
“And the National Association for the Advancement of Science has recently started made a significant effort to try to introduce science into the core curricula of divinity schools and seminaries across America. I can see, especially during the pandemic, how important that is for religious leaders to understand how science works and why public health professionals are making the recommendations that they are.”
Godlin, who grew up in Champaign-Urbana, earned two masters’ degrees from Yale Divinity School after doing her undergrad at Northwestern. But she returned to the area and trained as a chaplain and that’s when she got the research grant. At that point, she reached out to KCH assistant professor Robyn Gobin, because of Gobin’s interest in religion and spirituality and its effect on mental health.
“Dr. Gobin,” Godlin said, “has been an extraordinarily helpful mentor and partner along the way.”
“I shifted into the MPH-PhD program to focus more on research,” Godlin said. “Over the past few years, the focus of my research has been on the use of religion in coping with domestic violence. Studies find that up to 97% of women who experience domestic violence turn to God for help; so particularly for that population, religion is exceptionally important. My goal is to help religious leaders, chaplains, counselors, and therapists to strengthen their spiritual support for survivors, to help survivors to use their religion more effectively, and ultimately to improve survivors’ physical and mental health outcomes.”
Overall, Godlin believes the marriage of religion and public health through chaplaincy can help close the gap on misinformation.
“For the vast majority of people who have a religious background, when you say you are a chaplain, it opens doors that do not open for other people. And so people share things that they would not—patients share things and family members share things that they would not ordinarily share with other people.”
Students in the Master of Public Health program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois have been asked by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Dept. to apply the skills they are learning as contact tracers. Periodically, we will speak with them about how they are doing in these roles. Today, we speak with Faith Washington.
Q: Is the work you’re doing for CUPHD different than what you were trained for in the MPH program?
A: In the MPH program, I am studying health behavior and promotion, so there are a few parallels regarding convincing people to do what is in their own best interest and the public’s best interest. I think the main difference is the turnaround time. For the health behaviors I study and would like to ultimately work to promote, the effects may not be seen as quickly as the impact of my advice regarding COVID-19 would be. For example, encouraging people to get screened for prostate cancer would potentially decrease the disease’s mortality rates because more cases are caught in the early stages. Still, that data wouldn’t be evident for quite a while, whereas encouraging people to isolate and quarantine has an almost immediate impact on the spread and identification of COVID-19 cases in the community.
Q: What field/industry were you hoping to work in upon graduation?
A: I hope to work in either public health program research, implementation, and evaluation at a state or federal level or to work as a health journalist. I am very passionate about improving the general public’s health literacy so that people can better advocate for themselves and their needs in medical settings and ultimately lead healthier happier lives.
Q: What kinds of questions do you ask in the work you’re currently doing?
A: As a contact tracer, I ask COVID-positive people how they feel, what symptoms they are experiencing if they require any resources like masks or food, and with whom they have recently interacted. At CUPHD, there is an emphasis on ensuring that everyone has what they need to safely and adequately quarantine or isolate. Hence, all of these questions are really important. I have found that giving out CUPHD contact information also reassures people that if they have a need that they don’t disclose during the interview, that is OK. We will still be prepared to assist them.
Q: Do you find people are willing to respond truthfully?
A: For the most part, people are willing to answer truthfully. It becomes relatively easy to tell when people are being dishonest. The one question that seems to get the most pushback is, “Do you have any close contacts?” Generally, people do not want to give out the personal information of their friends and family. Still, once I explain that we protect and respect everyone’s privacy and confidentiality and that we are only asking so that we may reach out to their close contacts and provide them with proper guidance and assistance regarding quarantine, people become more willing to disclose that information.
Q: Any frustrations that people are not listening to the health guidelines?
A: I become very frustrated when I see people not adhering to health guidelines because I see the negative impacts this virus has had on so many people and their families. It is hard to have one conversation with someone severely ill and potentially dying and then call another person who has mild symptoms or is asymptomatic and refuses to isolate and could be spreading this virus to others, who may then be my next severely ill call.
Q: Do people you know ask you for COVID advice?
A: My family doesn’t ask me for COVID advice because I always offer it before they have a chance. I am always in contact with my parents and brother to ensure that they are not succumbing to quarantine fatigue and they are continuing to follow all health guidelines. Fortunately, my family has been taking this very seriously, and my parents and brother are all able to work and learn from home right now. My friends sometimes ask me for COVID advice or ask me general questions if they don’t understand the reasoning behind something that public health officials are asking everyone to do right now. However, for the most part, my friends are also all still staying home and not really physically interacting with the world right now.
Q: What are you missing out on because of the pandemic, in terms of working face-to-face with people?
A: I think what I am most missing out on are the benefits of in-person classes. This is my first semester as an MPH grad student, but I studied communication with a concentration in health for my undergraduate degree here at UIUC, and there is such a stark difference between learning on Zoom and learning in a classroom. Mainly because there is so much collaboration necessary in public health courses. I am concerned that the connections I am making with my cohort are not as strong as they would have been had the semester been typical, but a lot of MPH students also work at CUPHD right now, so I do have more interaction with them through work, which I value a lot.
Q: What ways has COVID-19 affected you? Have you traveled? Have you been able to go home, see family?
A: I generally count myself as lucky because, while COVID has affected me a lot, it could have been much worse. Like many other class of 2020 students, I didn’t get a formal graduation, which was upsetting. I also have not been able to see my friends from high school for a very long time. We usually all congregate when we are home in Chicago, but due to the pandemic, we haven’t been home, and we haven’t been willing to potentially risk the health of our families by being together. I also have not traveled, which is rare for me. I usually travel to see friends or just take a trip to some landmark or interesting spot in the country, but most things are closed, and I am also not willing to get on a plane right now. While all of these things have been less than ideal, I count myself as fortunate because I do not personally know anyone who has died from COVID, and I was the only member of my immediate family and friend group to ever catch the virus, which I recovered from.
Nothing in 2020 has gone according to anyone’s expectations, because of the pandemic. But thanks to some adaptation and innovation from College of Applied Health Sciences researchers and their cross-campus collaborators, Champaign County schoolchildren are learning some new life skills.
The Illinois Physical Activity and Life Skills Wellness Program, or iPALS for short, engages children in kindergarten through fifth grade in both physical activity and nutrition instruction. But according to KCH assistant professor K. Andrew R. Richards, iPALS was forced to undergo a COVID-related makeover.
“What we’re doing now is not what we had intended to do,” he said. “We’d been funded on an Illinois State Board of Education grant to run a summer program, an in-person, face-to-face summer camp style program in collaboration with (Champaign) Unit 4 (schools) that was going to be hosted at one of the local elementary schools. And we’d have about 150 kids that would come and spend the day with us for five consecutive weeks. And so that was the original plan, but then COVID happened. And all of that went out the window.”
With summer programming canceled by the University of Illinois and the school district, Richards and his collaborators were faced with a choice of having to spend the money by the end of this semester or having to return it to the state.
“And so that kind of left us with this decision, do we want to return the money?,” he said, “Or do we want to find some way to do some good with this in the local community to help children and family in the time of this pandemic, when health, and nutrition, and wellness are perhaps even more important than they ever have been?”
That’s where some of Richards’ collaborators come in, including fellow KCH assistant professor Naiman Khan, and graduate students in KCH and the Division of Nutritional Sciences. For example, Richards credits KCH doctoral student Shelby Ison for developing multiple options for a fall version of iPALS that included some face-to-face elements as well as virtual and asynchronous plans.
Richards and Khan then worked with Champaign Unit 4 Schools Director of Student, Family & Community Engagement, Katina Wilcher, about opportunities to engage more with the community.
“We brainstormed schools that might benefit most, developed a framework, the two agencies co-wrote a grant, and here we are,” Wilcher said in an email. “Of course, we had to adjust due to COVID, but the University did an outstanding job coming up with an alternative virtual program that is going well.”
IPALS has existed at UIUC in some form since the 1950s, Richards said, and at one point was called the Sport Fitness Program. It was once a multi-activity sport program, but Richards et al recognized iPALS needed to be more responsive to wellness in a broader sense. So, while there continues to be a physical activity component, they’ve added a social and emotional learning component, and a nutrition and wellness component.
Annabelle Shaffer, a master’s student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, helped craft the nutrition element, part of which involves videos.
“They’ll get a video … basically just why you should hydrate,” she said. “What types of drinks are best for hydration, things like that. And then for their activity they’ll be provided cooking video that we’re making in collaboration with the ARC Instructional Kitchen, who has primarily dietetics and human nutrition undergrads teaching the courses. So they’ll create the cooking class video with the recipes given to them. And also we provide all the food for the kids with the socially distanced pickups.”
One-hundred and 10 children are participating in the program, which runs until Nov. 12. For the cooking program, they receive a set of child-safe knives, a spatula, their own mixing bowls, their own measuring spoons and cups.
“We wanted to be able to engage them in both physical activity and nutrition instruction,” Richards said. “But because we’re targeting primarily communities affected by poverty, we didn’t want to have to rely on them to have things that they were going to need.”
The researchers stressed that parents are involved in most aspects of the program, while still allowing their children to have creative freedom.
“Our current program is six weeks long, and each week students participate in three virtual activities through platforms such as Flipgrid and Edpuzzle. Each of the 3 activities have a different objective,” Ison said. “Activity 1 is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer social and emotional learning, Activity 2 is meant to educate children on physical activity and nutrition, and Activity 3 is the application of the learnings from Activity 2 where students work with their family members to complete a physical activity or nutrition activity or challenge.”
Khan, whose research interests focus in most part on nutrition, said one set of research outcomes would be “qualitative and getting an idea of the experience of the children participating in the program. We have an interest in our lab with physical health and mental and cognitive health in kids. So the Fitbits, for example, will be used to assess students’ physical activity.
“We’ll use a survey approach for them to report their nutritional intake. There’s a survey also on nutrition literacy that we’ve concluded to get an idea of their knowledge of foods and healthy eating. And some additional surveys that we have in place for understanding the home environment, in terms of just commotion and chaos in the household, some demographic information.”
The researchers plan to replicate iPALS next summer, although they’re uncertain if they’ll be able to host children in person. But they certainly hope for bigger grants as they go forward.
“If we were able to use what we’re learning and down the road leverage that towards larger, perhaps federal grant structures, then that might be able to set us up so we’d have funding for consecutive years,” Richards said.
“I feel like we’re in a position now, having been through this, where we won’t be going into that blind and trying to create the wheel while we’re driving the car. We’ll have the car created. And we can just gas it up along the way.”
OneClick.chat is a web-based video chat platform that provides users with easy, accessible ways to connect with others
OneClick.chat, a video chat platform, announced positive outcomes in the study of older adults, with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who used their video chat technology to engage in social activities to meet new people of all ages with shared interests. Some of the participants’ favorite topics of conversation were books, health, family, and exercise. The results of this study were published in Gerontechnology, the official journal of the International Society for Gerontechnology.
OneClick.chat, a web-based video chat platform that provides users with easy, accessible ways to connect with others, partnered with Drs. Wendy Rogers and Raksha Mudar in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to conduct a three-phased study to examine experiences, attitudes, and preferences of video chat systems, particularly the OneClick video chat platform, among older adults with and without MCI. It also evaluated and optimized the OneClick.chat platform to accommodate the interests, abilities, and usability concerns of older adults. These objectives were accomplished in three phases:
Phase 1 examined older adults’ experiences with well-known video chat systems (e.g. Skype, Facetime), their attitudes toward video chat in general, and to OneClick.chat specifically, and their preferences on how they would like to use OneClick.chat.
Phase 2 worked to identify potential usability problems with the OneClick.chat platform through experiential evaluations conducted by experts with knowledge of human factors, aging, and MCI. The OneClick.chat platform was then optimized based on Phase 1 and Phase 2 findings.
Phase 3 participants interacted with the optimized OneClick.chat platform over a period of four weeks in their own homes. They gave feedback on their attitudes toward the improved system and their opinions about using the system for real conversations.
The study provided valuable and novel insights from participants about their experiences and preferences for using video chat systems, as well as understanding their perceived ease of use and technology acceptance. Overall, participants found the OneClick.chat platform useful and easy to use. This process also showcased how technology for older adults can be developed by engaging them in the iterative design process. Importantly, this study will provide insights, not only for the design of OneClick.chat, but more generally for the design of technology-based social engagement platforms for older adults with and without MCI.
“Older adults are at increased risk of social isolation and loneliness due to significant life changes, including retirement, restricted mobility – and now with the global pandemic putting older adults in isolation—we fear this will only further exacerbate the development of chronic health conditions,” said Dillon Myers, CEO of OneClick.chat. “The results of this study help us understand from research leaders in aging and technology, how to develop the best video chat and social engagement platform for older adults. Soon we will launch version 2.0 of our platform, which will include significant enhancement upgrades as a result of this study.”
OneClick.chat will launch version 2.0 next month which will include a new video chat interface designed to maximize usability for older adults, enhanced security and data privacy features, as well as curated classes and social events for residents of senior living organizations. The Company plans to build on this research through Phase II grant funding from The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). OneClick.chat will partner with home and community-based organizations (CBOs) to utilize the platform in their community outreach and demonstrate improved quality of life for older adults through social activities that use technology.
OneClick.chat will continue its study in partnership with Dr. Wendy Rogers, Director of the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory and Dr. Raksha Mudar, Director of the Aging and Neurocognition Laboratory.
“It’s critical that companies, like OneClick.chat, focus on the socialization needs of one of our most vulnerable populations,” Dr. Rogers said. “Many older adults are already at high risk of social isolation and the global pandemic continues to have a major impact on their ability to interact with family and friends or develop new social connections.”
The grants will be focused on providing training to Special Education teachers and Vocational Rehabilitation counselors across Illinois
Two new grants to researchers in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois will fund programs aimed at improving post-school employment outcomes for students with significant disabilities.
The first grant, funded by the Illinois State Board of Education, is for a five-year, $5 million collaboration between the College of Education and AHS. Kinesiology and Community Health professor David Strauser, in collaboration with College of Education professor Stacy Dymond, received funding for the Center on Transition and Work. The Center will offer state-wide training and technical assistance to school personnel, rehabilitation counselors, and families to improve post-school employment outcomes for students with significant disabilities (e.g., intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, autism).
Strauser, Dymond and KCH professor John Kosciulek were also awarded a Vocational Training Grant. This project, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for $1.5 million over five years, will provide statewide training to vocational rehabilitation counselors who prepare individuals with disabilities for employment.
Strauser said the two grants “complement each other and will work together to increase post-high school employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities in Illinois.”
Strauser said the grants will be focused on providing training to Special Education teachers and Vocational Rehabilitation counselors across Illinois.
“The training will focus on providing training to front-line professionals that will enhance their skills related on preparing youth and young adults for employment after they leave high school.”
Podcasts, videos and research briefs will be among the materials created and made publicly available to help young adults with disabilities and chronic health conditions transition to work life, he said.
Strauser hopes to begin training as soon as early next year, and is searching for sites for the Center on Transition and Work, which will be somewhere on the UIUC campus.
As far as the populations the grants will help, Strauser said the project funded by the ISBE will focus on severe intellectual, psychiatric, and physical disabilities, while the vocational training project will focus on all types of disabilities and chronic health conditions.
Strauser said the grants fulfill the land grant mission of UIUC by providing research and training directed at enhancing the lives of Illinoisans with disabilities and chronic health conditions.
“We will also be able to conduct direct practice-based research that will provide valuable information to Illinois, the country and the world regarding effective practices and strategies that can improve the career development and employment of youth and young adults with disabilities.”
Strauser and Kosciulek also received a grant for their Rehabilitation Services Administration Quality Employment Outcomes project. Strauser is the principle investigator on the project—which also includes the University of Wisconsin, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Kentucky. The objectives are to increase the number of eligible applicants to State vocational rehab programs; to increase engagement of eligible applicants in service to promote participation in services throughout the tenure of their Individualized Employment Plans; to increase the number of employers hiring and retaining persons with disabilities in their workforce; and to increase the Employment Rate indicator, as compared to each programs’ historical data and national trends. The project is funded for $2.15 million over five years.
Wellness ambassadors support the University of Illinois’ COVID-19 educational compliance efforts by providing health resources to the university community. The College of Applied Health Sciences is proud to boast several students who are participating in the Wellness Ambassador program. Periodically, we’ll speak with a student about what they have encountered in their role. Today, it’s Emily Grayburn, a student in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.
Q: What kind of training did you receive to become a Wellness Ambassador?
A: I participated in a four-hour-long, Zoom-based training along with the other Wellness Ambassadors. During this meeting, we got to speak with members of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District as well as Dr. Robert Parker from McKinley Health Center. We also learned what we would be doing during our shift and how to approach people politely. We also need to attend bi-weekly trainings to update our job duties, if need be.
Q: What kind of activities are you performing while working?
A: While working, I typically walk around campus with one to two other Wellness Ambassadors and hand out COVID-19 wellness kits to people walking by. These kits include a map of testing locations, a card with information about the COVID Wellness Answer Center, a button or sticker, a flyer containing information about flu shots, and either a mask, sunglasses, or a hand sanitizer.
Q: How many hours do you work a week?
A: I work 8-10 hours a week.
Q: Where are you stationed?
A: I am usually stationed at (Illinois Street Residence) Halls, (Student Dining and Residential Programs Building), or walking around campus.
Q: What challenges have you faced in doing the job?
A: Some challenges that I have faced while doing this job would be dealing with the small amount of students who aren’t compliant with wearing a mask.
Q: What kind of reactions do you get from students or faculty when you encounter them?
A: For the most part, students are very excited about receiving free goodies from the university. They are very thankful that we are making a positive impact on our community.
Q: What’s the toughest part of the job?
A: The toughest part of my job would be confronting individuals who do not want to wear their masks. Although it is a small percentage of students, we still need to sometimes tell these people that they need to keep their mask on whenever they are outside of their room to keep others safe and increase the chances of us being able to stay on campus.
Freshmen are entering college in a unique environment, and that includes students in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. The AHS communications staff spoke with new AHS students about campus life, why they decided to come to campus—or stay home—and how COVID-19 is changing their expectations. Today, we speak with Regan Toole, who is in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.
Q: Are you on campus?
A: I am on campus this fall, and I am actually a Chick Evans Scholar. Meaning that I am attending U of I on a full tuition-and-room scholarship. I am also currently staying in the Evans’ chapter house.
Q: What made you decide to be on campus?
A: I decided to stay on campus because I wanted to get as much of the freshman experience as possible. I wanted to get to know other people and I wanted to familiarize myself with the campus. The campus is so beautiful, especially now that the weather is starting to cool down. I love taking walks around campus, but I still haven’t explored the whole thing because it so big! But one day I will.
Q: What challenges are you discovering with remote classes?
A: As for classes, some challenges for me are that I am still adjusting to college classes being online and each of them using different platforms. At my high school we used Google Classroom for everything, which was very convenient. Classes back then were also a lot easier because my grades could only improve from what they were before COVID-19. Since I had an “A” in all of my classes I couldn’t get anything lower, as long as I did all of my work. I also do not have any in-person classes this semester and it can be hard for me to be on my computer all day. However, I try to fit in breaks to walk around and socialize with people. Also, at first it was hard to find where the due dates and assignment where for some of my class, but after getting used to the websites it has gotten easier to access everything.
Q: Tell me what you think about the COVID testing process. Has it been easy to find a testing site?
A: I am so grateful that U of I has its testing process because it makes me feel a lot safer being on campus. Altering hearing about all of the cases at Notre Dame and (North Carolina), it is very reassuring to know what is actually going on at our campus. There is also a testing center right next to my house and it is super easy and quick for me to get tested. I am still very conscious about COVID-19 and I always make sure to wear my mask and wash my hands frequently. However, I am still really glad to see lot of other people wearing their face masks around campus and it seems that most people understand the importance of them.
Q: Have you encountered any of the Wellness Safety Ambassadors? What has that experience been like?
A: The Wellness Safety Ambassadors are a great addition to campus as well. I think they do a great job of promoting safety for COVID-19 on campus. I even got an additional care package from them and I absolutely love the spray hand sanitizer! Overall, I am very happy and fortunate to be on campus this fall. I am very excited to see what my future holds here at U of I. I-L-L!
