Project summary
People with diabetes are at an increased risk of health problems as they age. But doctors don’t usually monitor how older people with diabetes are ageing physically. Professor Bain now wants to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme that measures the physical ability levels of older people with type 2 diabetes. This could help to better understand the diverse needs of older people with diabetes and use this to make care more personalised.
Background to research
Over a third of people living with diabetes in the UK are over the age of 65, and growing older can make living with diabetes even more challenging. The ageing process can make people with diabetes more vulnerable to other health problems and frailty.
Everyone ages differently, so age as a number isn’t always useful to understand how people are coping physically as they get older. Being able to assess this is important to make sure people get the support they need to age well with diabetes. But overburdened health systems often only carry out these checks once people have already developed problems that impact their daily activities.
Professor Bain’s previous research used AI to highlight differences between the physical abilities of people living with type 2 diabetes. Now, he wants to build on this research.
Research aims
Professor Bain is aiming to develop AI software which will categorise people living with type 2 diabetes into one of three groups depending on their physical ability. The software will also collect data on people's fitness, physical strength and balance. It’s hoped that this data will be used to develop personalised care plans for individuals based on their biological age, not their actual age.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
Developing an AI tool to understand an individual’s physical ability presents an opportunity to make care for older people with diabetes more personalised. This means that people could receive the best possible care for them, at the right time to help them age well, improve their quality of life and reduce the number of older people in hospital due to diabetes-related disability.
