Olera - Online Platform to Increase Access to Personalized Educational and Professional Assistance for AD/ADRD Caregivers

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ABSTRACT There are currently about 5.8 million older adults living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and the numbers are only expected to grow in the coming decades. The majority of care for persons living with dementia (PLWD) is provided by family members who lack formal training in caregiving and thus need education, information, and assistance. While an array of technology solutions for caregiving has been suggested to meet these needs, the adoption rate has been low, potentially due to poor usability (e.g., difficult to use) and lack of contextual relevancy. The long-term objective of this proposed research is to develop a technology-based solution that integrates web and mobile platforms to link dementia caregivers with personalized information and resources that are easily accessible by populations across the socioeconomic spectrum. The proposed study will focus on information and educational materials on financial management and legal planning. Such information will be helpful for caregivers experiencing difficulties due to their immediate caregiving responsibilities, as well as those transitioning in their roles and responsibilities as the PLWD’s health condition progresses. This collaborative project, involving industrial, academic, and community partners, is oriented around two specific aims: (Phase 1 Specific Aim 1) Development of the digital platform based on a novel Dementia Care Personalization Algorithm and initial feasibility assessment. Framed around an interactive Design Thinking product design methodology, phase 1 consists of the iterative process: Build, Measure, and Learn. A pilot group of 25 dementia caregivers will be recruited to serve as a user feedback panel. Our milestone for moving to Phase 2 will be assurance of the feasibility of the digital platform assessed using metrics from the adapted Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and Technology Adoption Model (TAM). (Phase 2 Specific Aim 2) Evaluation of the acceptance of the developed digital platform across racial/ethnic populations. Phase 2 is a prospective usability study to evaluate the acceptance of the proposed digital platform across three different racial/ethnic populations of dementia caregivers in Texas (N = 300; n = 100 African Americans, n = 100 Hispanic/Latinx, and n = 100 non-Hispanic Whites). The prospective feature of the study design will enable the enrolled participants to explore and use the developed digital platform for about 4 weeks to provide multiple assessments of the perceived usefulness, ease of use, and value. At the completion of the two specific aims, we expect to have developed a widely accessible digital platform tailored to assist dementia caregivers in navigating through financial and legal challenges by linking caregivers to personalized and contextually relevant information and resources in the Texas area. If successful, the proposed commercialization plan anticipates further deployment of the developed digital platform by working with professional caregiving organizations to scale and sustain the platform to meet the needs of the growing population of dementia caregivers.