Extending a digital mobility cohort to understand risk factors and impacts of post-COVID conditions in community-living older adults: the Aging, Infection and Mobility (AIM) project

Many Canadians are still experiencing post-COVID conditions that affect their daily lives long after the initial infection. This is especially complicated for older adults with existing health problems and those from disadvantaged communities where there is a higher risk of COVID-19 and post-COVID conditions. Mobility is a key factor in healthy aging and disease prevention, and it is likely impacted by common symptoms of post-COVID conditions (e.g., fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness). Still, mobility has yet to be adequately addressed in research studying post-COVID conditions. The Aging, Infection, and Mobility (AIM) project seeks to determine why some people develop post-COVID conditions, and others do not, and to examine the long-term effects of COVID-19 on functional outcomes in older people. The project will build on an existing aging and wearable technology study of over 1200 older adults from Hamilton and Toronto, including those from low-income areas. Participants will contact the research team within 5 days of developing symptoms of infection and undergo a rapid COVID-19 test. The study will include telephone-administered questionnaires, post-infection interviews, and regular follow-ups, including mobility monitoring using a smartwatch (e.g., step counts, location via GPS) and in-person assessments of physical, mental, and social health over 2 years. Our goal is to understand the risk factors and impacts of post-COVID conditions in older adults and marginalized seniors. We will also examine the impact of recurrent infections and vaccination on post-COVID conditions and the health of older adults. The results of this study will answer critical questions about long-term effects and risk factors for post-COVID conditions in older people. We hope to use this information to improve policies, services, and support for older adults with post-COVID conditions and other infections that affect mobility.