Canada is undergoing a major demographic shift as the number of older adults continues to grow. As people live longer, many seniors also face increasing risks of frailty, along with physical and cognitive changes that can affect daily life. Reduced strength, balance difficulties, slower mobility, fatigue, memory concerns, and challenges managing everyday activities can gradually threaten independence, confidence, and quality of life.
Today, more than 1.6 million Canadians are living with frailty, and that number is expected to exceed 2.5 million in the next decade. SeniorsPlace is being developed in response to this urgent need.
Our team is building a coordinated, holistic digital platform designed to help older adults recognize early signs of physical and cognitive decline, reduce or manage frailty-related symptoms, and maintain independence for longer. By combining accessible tools, meaningful monitoring, and personalized support, SeniorsPlace aims to empower older adults, families, and care providers to take earlier action and support healthier, safer, and more connected aging at home and in the community.
We bring together experts from the Health Sciences, Social Sciences, and Science & Engineering, with a focus on digital technologies designed specifically for older adults.
Our work builds on longstanding partnerships with the AGE-WELL NCE, CABHI, the Canadian Frailty Network, and UAlberta’s Computational Psychiatry group — all converging toward a single integrated platform for healthy, independent aging.
“Older adults living with frailty and their families need holistic approaches that treat the entire person and their health challenges in a coordinated, caring manner.”
Each platform addresses a specific dimension of frailty prevention — from cognitive exercise to physical activity, unobtrusive monitoring, and community services — all integrated into a single holistic system.
Tablet-based games that exercise the player's perception, reaction time, short-term memory, and language.
Designed to be easy enough for players with moderate dementia but offering complex configurations to also engage and challenge healthy adults.
A virtual reality exergame platform supported that helps seniors improve their balance, strength and flexibility through engaging, guided movement.
The exergames can be played from a standing or sitting position, to accomodate different physical abilities.
An ambient sensing software framework that, once embedded in a home, it can unobtrusively and accurately analyze the occupant's Activities of Daily Living.
The software was deployed and validated in a simulation space in the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy and in the Independent Living Suite of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.
Cognitive impairment and meantal-health conditions impact the individual's ability to produce language, and therefore their vocal expressions are distinguishable from those of healthy indivudals.
We employ machine-learning methods to extract accurate biomarkers of such conditions (i.e., aphaisa, dementia, depression, anxiety, and stress from speech and wearables.
Even though useful services may be available in the community, it can be difficult to identfy which ones would be more relevent to one's needs.
Our AI-powered service aggregation and recommendation tool can help bridge the gap between the seniors' needs and services.
Game performance data, self-reported data, indicators inferred from speech and wearables, and validated digital assessments for frailty screening are integrated to provide a rich record to inform clinical decision making and care pathway decisions.
A research-backed, four-pillar strategy to support older Albertans in living healthily and independently for longer.
Through our integrated assessment tools, potential deficits and frailty risks.
With our cognitive and physical exercise games to maintain and improve cognitive and physical function.
With community services to combat social isolation.
Progress by tracking the game-performace data, speech and wearable indicators, and frailty assessment tools.
An interdisciplinary group spanning health sciences, social sciences, and engineering.
This work has been generously supported by our funding partners.
If you are interested in learning more about our work or getting involved, please contact Dr. Eleni Stroulia at stroulia@ualberta.ca or sign in to explore our platforms.
