A stakeholder derived intervention to enhance technology engagement and reduce the emotional divide in distance caregiving of older adults with cognitive impairment

Project Summary This career development award will provide the applicant (Alyssa Weakley, PhD) with the necessary training, knowledge, and experience to transition to an independent research career. Dr. Weakley’s overall career goal is to develop and validate accessible and innovative technology-based interventions that improve everyday functioning in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), caregiving needs of informal family caregivers, and the relationship/bond of the care dyad. Dr. Weakley will build toward this goal with training and mentorship in (1) methods for identifying stakeholder (i.e., caregiver, care receiver) needs regarding technology use, adoption, and adherence; (2) developing inclusive (in terms of race/ethnicity) and accessible (in terms of technology familiarity) caregiver interventions; (3) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioral interventions; and (4) multidisciplinary team leadership and technology-based data management. Training aided by expert mentorship in these four areas will provide Dr. Weakley with the knowledge and skills to complete three research aims, the focus of the proposed research project. These aims include (1) identifying approaches to help cognitively impaired care receivers and distance caregivers engage with technology via stakeholder focus groups; (2) iteratively adapt and refine, through stakeholder co-design and participatory research methods, an intervention that facilitates use and integrates a remote caregiving web-based tool (Interactive-Care (I-CARE)) into everyday life; and (3) implementing a pilot RCT examining the feasibility and acceptability of the I-Care target intervention relative to basic I-Care training alone. The proposed research is significant because it couples innovative remote caregiver technology with stakeholder engagement to develop and test a novel intervention designed to improve outcomes for care receivers, caregivers, and their dyadic relationship. No research, to the applicant’s knowledge, has utilized a co-design approach for technology training that encapsulates remote caregiver and care receiver needs. Results will serve as pilot data for an R01 study that further investigates the most robust, scalable, and accessible approaches to improving functional outcomes in older adults with ADRD and caregivers. To complete her research and training aims, Dr. Weakley will leverage existing resources with expertise at three centers at University of California Davis: National Institute on Aging funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Healthy Aging in a Digital World initiative, and the Family Caregiving Institute. These resources, along with the mentoring team’s strong commitment to Dr. Weakley’s research program, will provide Dr. Weakley with an enriched environment that will undoubtedly help her achieve her career development goals.