Meet the Project Team
Principal investigator: Dr Praveen Kumar – Associate Professor in Stroke Rehabilitation, University of the West of England
Dr Maria Jose Galvez Trigo, Cardiff University, Lecturer.
Dr Cian O’Donovan, University College London, Senior Research Fellow.
William Wright, Blackwood Homes and Care
Mrs Raji Sunil, Manager at the Beaufort Grange Care Home, Bristol
EMERGENCE Mentors: Dr Mauro Dragone and Prof. Praminda Caleb-Solly
Project Summary
This project will build theory, evidence and guidelines by empowering care home staff and residents to use telepresence robots on their own terms, trialing tailored exercise programmes facilitated remotely by a physiotherapist.
The WHO recommends older people should exercise regularly to improve strength, balance, manage health conditions and improve quality of life. In the UK, this kind of care is delivered through communities, with local community centres offering exercise programmes for older people. However, inequalities, poverty and systemic under-funding means many people and under-represented groups lack access to them.
Digital transformation policies promise change, but their contribution to community building remains underexplored. Through interdisciplinary co-design, we aim to create foundations and frameworks that put building resilient communities at the heart of robotic telepresence programmes. Resilient in terms of the capabilities of organisations, workforces, and individuals to cultivate human and digital good amongst older persons and professionals in care homes.