This project was designed to develop and evaluate an innovative multimedia program on home safety and injury prevention for older adults and their families. Investigators will create a unique health education resource combining a multimedia instructional system, Internet communication, and touch screen technology to help the elderly maintain their health and functional independence by avoiding costly injuries and infirmities. Making Homes Safe for Seniors is a CD-ROM /Online/Hybrid that provides instruction in English and Spanish, and will connect learners to a dedicated web site where they can seek advice from experts, share adaptive home repair solutions with others, perform an interactive safety check-up of their living environment, and shop for adaptive devices and safety items. The program is accessible to a wide range of learners since the easy-to-use touch screen operation obviates the need for technical skills while the graphics and narration mitigate the need for reading skills. Feasibility testing of a prototype module in Phase I showed a significant impact on learning and positive acceptance of the multimedia delivery system by older learners. Extensive formative evaluation during the program completion process will be conducted with 130 elderly subjects from an inner city community Center for Senior Citizens. A multi-wave panel study will assess the short and longer-term impact of the finalized program on knowledge acquisition, risk reduction, and incidence of injuries in the home environment. A repeated measures ANOVA model will constitute the basic analysis of a sample of 120 tri-ethnic subjects. This program has wide commercial appeal and will be sought out by a host of learners including families, community groups, and members of the health care professions who will make this program and the remainder of the projected series an indispensable tool for positively impacting the health of an aging population.
NOT AVAILABLE
| Sweeney, Mary Anne; Chiriboga, David A (2003) Evaluating the effectiveness of a multimedia program on home safety. Gerontologist 43:325-34 |
