Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (MAITC): Stakeholder Engagement Core

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY: Stakeholder Engagement Core The Stakeholder Engagement Core supports the pilot project research process by ensuring that technologies developed through the Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (MAITC) are driven by current and future needs of older adults, family members or other informal caregivers, and clinicians. The Stakeholder Engagement Core serves as the bridge between the center’s scientific advances in healthy aging and AD/ADRD research and those individuals who can benefit from these advances. In support of these goals, the Stakeholder Engagement Core has four aims. The first is to conduct a rigorous and ongoing stakeholder needs assessment process to elicit and cohesively document older adult, family or other informal caregiver, and clinician needs as they relate to the Aging and AD/ADRD pilot cores. The Stakeholder Engagement Core has formed a diverse, highly qualified Stakeholder Advisory Board to help identify the most pressing stakeholder needs in the areas of healthy aging and AD/ADRD. The Stakeholder Engagement Core will conduct focus groups with diverse older adults and their lay caregivers to provide pilot project teams with practical information about older adult and lay caregiver needs to justify the significance and focus of their pilot studies, and to inform the MAITC’s technology focus areas by providing insights into stakeholders’ perceptions of potential technologies. The second aim is to support the pilot project process by ensuring that the pilot project solicitation requirements and chosen pilot projects are responsive to stakeholder needs, and provide in-depth guidance for selected pilot projects to help accelerate their research. The third aim is to ensure that end user-focused pilot project teams are using effective human-centered design thinking methods for conducting thorough patient, informal caregiver, and clinician needs assessments, and designing early solutions to meet those needs. The fourth aim is to broadly disseminate synthesized findings from the stakeholder needs assessment activities and stakeholder-related findings from individual pilot projects (in coordination with other cores). This aim will raise awareness of stakeholder needs related to technology and aging to inform the broader research, clinician, payer, industry, and policy communities. The Stakeholder Engagement Core will also increase the value of the pilot projects conducted via the MAITC by aiding with broad dissemination and preparation for future funding.