Measuring Life-Space of Older Adults in Senior Living Communities: Real-Time Location Tracking and Self-Report

PURPOSE: To determine how real-time location tracking (RTLT) measures of life-space (LS) perform in comparison to a self-report measure in residents of independent and assisted living communities. METHOD: RTLT and self-report measures of LS were analyzed at five time points over a 1-year period for older adults in three senior residential communities. Linear mixed effects models were used to relate RTLT and self-reported measures to each other and covariates of sex, cognition, and activities of daily living ability. RESULTS: There was a positive association between self-reported and RTLT LS measures, with and without adjustment for covariates. RTLT scores reflected the effects of cognition and sex over and above what was captured by the self-reported measure. CONCLUSION: Self-report and RTLT are useful measures of LS. The RTLT measure may be more sensitive to the effects of sex and cognition on LS compared to self-report.