Join us in Central Edinburgh on May 15th for a co-creation session focusing on improving the quality of life for older adults dealing with urinary incontinence. We are now seeking four participants to share their insights and experiences, helping us design a wearable device for alternative treatment. Participants will receive £50 in vouchers and have their bus travel expenses within Edinburgh covered. Co-creation of smart socks for older adults. Background Urinary incontinence is a common and often under-reported issue among older adults, particularly due to factors such as age-related changes in pelvic muscles and bladder function. It can significantly impact the quality of life for seniors, leading to social withdrawal and increased healthcare challenges. In recent years, wearable technologies have proven to offer significant benefits for older people by enhancing their overall health, safety, and well-being, this means better management of chronic conditions. You might be surprised that there are connections between the nerves in your legs and the nerves in your bladder. This means that stimulating the nerve in your leg using a specialist electrical device can improve symptoms of urine leakage. This study aims to discuss and co-create a prototype of a smart sock for urinary incontinence management, taking into account needs from older adults to encourage long-term use. We hope that this approach will allow engineers to focus on technical aspects, but at the same time on other features such as comfortability, and ease-of-use. How can I get involved? We would like to work with four older adults in a co-creation workshop to take their insights, thoughts and experiences regarding daily life activities and urinary incontinence (own experiences, relatives or friends) to design a wearable device as an alternative treatment. Additionally, we are interested to hear about the difficulties that people face when dressing and walking, to determine important features of the wearable so it does not affect daily tasks. What is the time commitment? This group discussion will take place in-person within central Edinburgh. It will last approximately two hour and it will be only one session, however, there may be opportunity to help shape this work again in the future. Payment and expenses You will receive £50 in vouchers as a thank you for joining this discussion. Additionally, we will cover bus travel expenses within the Edinburgh area (daily ticket £5). How will I be supported? Anna Crawford (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Officer at the ACRC) will be available to answer questions and will support you throughout. What should I do if I’m interested? Anna Crawford will be available to answer questions and will support you throughout. Privacy Statement The information that you provide will be used by the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC) to process your involvement and communicate with you about ACRC involvement in research activities. We are using information about you because you have given us your consent to do so. We will hold the personal data you have provided until you withdraw your consent for us to process your personal data. Your contact details will not passed to any researchers unless we have specific permission from you, and you have indicated that you would like a researcher to contact you in relation to a project. We do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes. If you have any questions, please contact Daria Ihnatenko, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Co-ordinator, dihnaten@ed.ac.uk. This privacy statement is continued: Interested individuals can email Daria directly, or acrcppi@ed.ac.uk, or register on Voice (link). Publication date 01 May, 2024
