Prevention of functional decline through gamified interventions in hospitalized older adults

This doctoral thesis focuses on the effects of gamified intervention programmes on the functional capacity of hospitalized older adults. Hospitalization is a process that leads to the development of disability in older adults. Hospitalization-associated disability is mainly induced by reduced physical activity and frequent episodes of bed rest during this process of health restoration. Gamified interventions can be a novel and effective strategy to prevent hospitalization-associated functional impairment in elderly patients. This doctoral thesis is based on three studies that have been published in international scientific journals. The first study (Chapter 1) aimed to evaluate the available evidence on the effectiveness of game-based interventions on health parameters (functional capacity, quality of life, etc.) of hospitalized older adults. In the second study (Chapter 2), the main objective was to detail the validation of a pilot multidomain intervention system (physical and cognitive training) based on gamification technologies to improve the functional capacity of hospitalized older adults. In the last study (Chapter 3), the main purpose was to analyse the effects of different modalities of gamified intervention programmes on functional capacity in hospitalized older adults in acute care for the elderly.