The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), led by Dr. Parminder Raina, is implementing mobility measures in all the remaining waves of the CLSA using wearable technologies. Mobility limitations, such as difficulty walking or transferring to and from a car, are a common and costly problem affecting older adults with a range of chronic health conditions. Studies have consistently shown that mobility limitation is an especially strong predictor of adverse outcomes, such as disability, hospitalization, and death. In recognition that an older person's health may be best assessed through measures of physical function rather than by the presence of disease, mobility has been coined by some as the "sixth vital sign" and as the "hallmark" of aging. Wearable technologies, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and inclinometers, provide the opportunity to objectively and continuously measure physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, over the span of several days to weeks, increasing the probability of capturing the wearer's typical mobility pattern. Study participants are required to wear the monitoring device on their wrist as well as thigh, to capture the required measurables for the research study.
