Time2Connect: An Adapted Loneliness Intervention for Older Adults with MCI or Mild ADRD in Primary Care

PROJECT SUMMARY Loneliness and is a significant health issue for older adults and is a major risk factor for morbidity mortality, including for older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Loneliness interventions are a promising strategy to improve health outcomes in older adults with ADRD. As care t he frontline entry to health care for most older adults in the US, primary is an ideal setting to intervene on loneliness.Unfortunately, there is a lack of loneliness interventions tailored to older adults with cognitive impairment in the primary care setting. This proposal aims to address this gap by adapting an evidence-based creative storytelling intervention for older adults with cognitive impairment, called TimeSlips, for the primary care setting. aims older 0), (NIH Time2Connect, support has coursework, human-centered Mullen experience and funded Guided by the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, the study are: 1) Assess potential psychosocial mechanisms of loneliness in community-dwelling adults with a high prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild ADRD (NIH Stage 2) Adapt the TimeSlips intervention for older adults with MCI or mild ADRD in primary care Stage 1A), and 3) Conduct a pilot randomized trial of the adapted i ntervention, called for older adults with MCI or mild ADRD (NIH Stage 1B). This proposal will the research and career development of the candidate, Dr. Rebecca Mullen . Dr. Mullen developed a detailed career development plan consisting of mentorship, didactic and hands-on experience t o expand her knowledge in mixed methods research, design for intervention adaptation and development, and clinical trials. Dr. has assembled multidisciplinary team of mentors with extensive clinica l research and content expertise to ensure her success in achieving the stated research aims career goals. This K23 proposal wil l allow Dr. Mullen to transition to an independently primary care physician-scientist a with expertise in loneliness intervention to improve the health outcomes for older adults.