Brand New Sense: A Study on the Development and Impact of a Digital Exercise Tool, 2022-2023

A Brand New Sense (BraNeS) aimed to create a digital tool that made movement fun and aided creative expression and intergenerational exchange within the user's home setting and/or community environments. Just like anyone else, when they exercised, old people experienced important health benefits. They were able to move better, accomplish daily and routine tasks easier, and experience a positive shift in their mood. However, a major challenge was how to get people to become active in a way that they enjoyed. Research had shown that a combination of movement and music was enjoyable, and people were more likely to adhere to exercise programmes that involved music. Studies had also shown that the social dimension of physical activity was an important factor of enjoyment. BraNeS explored the use of movement sonification as a form of physical activity that combined creative expression and social interaction. The record includes: a folder with the activities that were delivered as part of the Brand New Sense project; a file with observations from individual sessions with research participants; an evaluation Questionnaire that was circulated in the four care homes that tested the technology; and a video that was created out of the Now and Then package of the project. Data collected from the evaluation Questionnaire could not be archived.