An assistive-technology based Caregiver Training Program (CTP) to enhance caregiver effectiveness, well-being, and quality of life, which will improve overall care for individuals living with AD/ADRD.

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Project Summary Abstract The MapHabit System (MHS) is our neuroscience-based interactive care management platform that utilizes a patented visual mapping system supported by smart devices to improve cognition and reinforce routine habits in individuals living with AD/ADRD. The MHS approach relies on the discovery that certain regions of the brain that underlie habit and procedural learning are spared during the course of AD/ADRD, and these regions can help maintain activities of daily living (ADLs). Unmet needs addressed by the technical innovation for this FastTrack: Caregiving is commonly acknowledged as one of the most stressful, under-recognized, under-paid, and under-supported jobs. The new MHS+Caregiver Training Program (CTP) will offer key innovative feature to enhance the caregivers’ own quality of life, which, in turn, will result in reduced turnover and reduced caregiver-related cost burdens in all types of care settings, hospital systems, and for payers and providers. This will make MHS a unique mHealth product in the AD/ADRD community and will increase its market competitiveness, attract in-home users and be especially appealing to memory care facilities that are concerned with achieving measurable improvements in managing caregiver burden. The CTP will feature innovative components designed to directly support caregivers in their role, including self-paced learning starting with understanding the caregiver’s knowledge and skill level; interactive live coaching sessions; easy to use caregiver-centric dashboards to share information, and social networking capabilities to promote social support and community building. Phase I, Aim 1, will build out the CTP into the MHS platform. Phase I, Aim 2, will assess usability, acceptability and feasibility of the CTP using iterative usability studies involving 15 caregiver/patient dyads to determine optimal user experience, and modify the build accordingly. Phase II, Aim 1, we’ll build out enhanced user support modules to improve the CTP experience, including visual map games to increase caregiver self- awareness, motivation, and learning, social networks to provide social support connection to other caregivers, and a caregiver-centric dashboard for caregivers to track their own stress and well-being, as well as key patient performance measures. Phase II, Aim 2, will assess usability, acceptability and feasibility of the enhanced CTP features. Phase II, Aim 3, we’ll conduct a RCT (n=50 caregiver/patient dyads) to determine if adding the CTP to the MHS leads to enhanced caregiver and patient outcomes compared to the MHS alone. We hypothesize that enhancing caregiver knowledge and social and emotional support will improve caregiver quality of life, which will, in turn, improve the patient’s overall quality of care and functional status. The primary data driven outcome will be caregiver quality of life. Patient care, determined by the MHS and standardized cognitive assessments as well as self-reported caregiver and patient satisfaction will be assessed as well. This integrative, easy to use caregiver-centric training program will be unique to the caregiver market.