Center for Excellence in Assisted Living CEAL@UNC

Advancing the well-being of the people who live and work in assisted living through research, practice, and policy.

Western Journal of Nursing Research

Real-Time Fatigue and Physical Activity of Older Adults in Assisted Living: Feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment

Aug 1, 2025
This study examined real-time measurements of fatigue and physical activity via monitoring devices, a type of ecological momentary assessment (EMA), in 34 residents in AL communities to assess the feasibility and acceptability of this data collection method. Participants rated the monitoring device as comfortable, had no trouble inputing fatigue scores (completing 76% on average). This study supports EMA as a feasible data collection method for establishing a temporal order of events in real time.

Real-Time Fatigue and Physical Activity of Older Adults in Assisted Living: Feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment

by Lea Efird-Green

This study examined real-time measurements of fatigue and physical activity via monitoring devices, a type of ecological momentary assessment (EMA), in 34 residents in AL communities to assess the feasibility and acceptability of this data collection method. Participants rated the monitoring device as comfortable, had no trouble inputing fatigue scores (completing 76% on average). This study supports EMA as a feasible data collection method for establishing a temporal order of events in real time.

Physical Activity Programming for Older Adults in Assisted Living: Residents’ Perspectives

Feb 1, 2023
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: In a study gathering recommendations from AL residents about a program to increase physical activity. most residents were interested in increasing their activity and thought of it as being important. However, they had concerns about the program’s level of difficulty, the length of sessions, and how the end goals were framed. Thus, it is vital to elicit feedback from residents when designing a new program in AL.

Physical Activity Programming for Older Adults in Assisted Living: Residents’ Perspectives

by Lea Efird-Green

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: In a study gathering recommendations from AL residents about a program to increase physical activity. most residents were interested in increasing their activity and thought of it as being important. However, they had concerns about the program’s level of difficulty, the length of sessions, and how the end goals were framed. Thus, it is vital to elicit feedback from residents when designing a new program in AL.