What is this Study about?

Assistive technology products are things that help you function or carry out activities more easily by yourself. Products could be any devices, equipment, instruments, or software. Examples could be mobile phone apps that provide calendar reminders, switches that turn off stoves, or walkers.

Assistive technology services are activities or resources that help you to use or maintain assistive technology products. Services refer to assessment, training, and maintenance that help with choosing, using, and repairing assistive technology products.

Getting these products and services means having to contact different organizations. If these products and services could be bundled as one unit, it may help persons with dementia get them more easily and potentially reduce costs. Right now, policymakers need more information about providing assistive technologies as bundles.

The purpose of the study is to learn about your experiences with accessing and using products and services for managing dementia. This information will help us to know what should be included in bundles.

For persons with dementia: We would like to interview you now to understand your past and current experiences. We would also like to interview you each year for up to three years (for three interviews) to see how your experiences change over time. You may leave at any time.

For care partners: The purpose of the surveys is to learn about your views and experiences with accessing and using products and services for managing dementia. This information will help us to know what should be included in bundles. If interested, you may also take part in longitudinal interviews (two interviews, one annually) after the initial survey in year one to see how your experiences changed over time. You may leave at any time.

For healthcare providers: The purpose of the surveys is to learn about your views and experiences with assisting persons with dementia and care partners to access and use products and services for managing dementia. This information will help us to know what should be included in bundles and how delivery may be improved. If interested, you may also take part 6 / 10 in longitudinal interviews (two interviews, one annually) after completing the initial survey in year one to see how your experiences changed over time. You may leave at any time.

What is this Study about?

Our research team is looking to investigate social cognitive dementia-related changes through informal caregivers lived experiences. We are interested in understanding what social cognitive changes caregivers are seeing in their loved one with dementia, how frequent and severe these changes are, and how these changes are affecting informal caregivers' wellbeing. Information gathered will be used to learn what knowledge caregivers have, the changes that are impacting them and their loved ones the most, and we will develop educational resources to help support caregivers in a meaningful way.

What is this Study about?

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition among people 65 and older and increases the risk of social isolation, depression, communication difficulties and dementia. Dementia risk may be reduced through hearing rehabilitation, and it is critical to develop tools for identifying hearing loss and its impact on communication. The Hearing and Functioning in Everyday Life Questionnaire (HFEQ) is a measure to identify hearing loss and everyday life functioning, not yet been evaluated for people with combined hearing loss and cognitive impairment. To bridge this gap, the aim is to evaluate the HFEQ for this group. The study has a cross-sectional observational study design. Adults over 60 years, with hearing loss and with and without cognitive impairment will be recruited. Data collection will include a cognitive and hearing assessment, assessment of conversation effectiveness and efficiency, hearing and general health history and five questionnaires (HFEQ, the Life-Space questionnaire, the Social Functioning in Dementia scale, and the PROMIS anxiety and depression scales).

What is this Study about?

YOD is dementia diagnosed before the age of 65 and consists of approximately 2-8% of all Canadian dementia cases (n = 28,000) (Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, 2023), whereas late onset dementia is dementia diagnosed after the age of 65 and occurs much more frequently than young onset dementia (n = 597,000) (Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2023). Research has found caregivers for persons living with YOD experience higher levels of caregiver related stress, feelings of social isolation, and psychological and financial hardships. Further, caregivers for persons living with young onset dementia are more likely to be negatively affected by stigma associated with dementia in comparison to caregivers of older adults with dementia (Blake & Hopper, 2022; Chiari et al., 2022; Climans et al., 2023). A diagnosis of young onset dementia is atypical within one’s life trajectory, with many individuals being employed full-time at the time of diagnosis. As such young onset dementia caregivers often face unique challenges such as balancing the demands of their caregiving roles with employment, becoming the sole providers financially (Flynn & Mulchay, 2015), and potentially having young children still at home (Lockridge & Simpson, 2013; Svanberg et al., 2011). Consequently, it is imperative for resources to be designed to directly meet the needs of young onset dementia caregivers. Within Canada, most community-based interventions are designed for older adults with dementia and their families, with limited programs designed specifically for persons living with young onset dementia and their caregivers (Alzheimer Society Canada, 2018; Giebel et al., 2020). As a result, persons living with YOD and caregivers/care partners often feel unsupported. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study will be to understand the experiences and needs of service providers when implementing services for individuals with young onset dementia and their families. Findings will be used to inform the development of more responsive and appropriate community-based supports. 

What is this Study about?

This randomized controlled study evaluates the efficacy of a hippocampus-targeted, computerized spatial memory intervention in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Participants (≥55 years) will be randomized to either (a) a spatial memory intervention program or (b) an active placebo. Primary outcomes are changes in memory and cognition from baseline to post-training and 6-month follow-up, assessed with standardized neuropsychological measures and validated spatial memory tasks. Secondary outcomes include everyday functioning, quality of life, perceived stress, and related psychosocial indices.  

A neuroimaging sub-study acquires structural MRI and task-based fMRI to quantify hippocampal morphometry and functional recruitment; we hypothesize training-related improvements will correlate with hippocampal structural/functional change. Exploratory biomarkers (lipids, glucose/insulin for HOMA-IR, cortisol) and polygenic risk scores for dementia are obtained to control inter-individual variability and potential moderators/mediators of training response. The central hypothesis is that sustained, strategy-level engagement of hippocampus-dependent spatial memory will improve cognitive performance in MCI and yield convergent MRI biomarker signatures, supporting experience-dependent plasticity and informing scalable, non-pharmacologic interventions for delaying cognitive decline. 

What is this Study about?

The aim of this study is to understand how people with dementia, family/friend carers and healthcare providers experience the Driving and Dementia Roadmap website. This website contains resources to help people in the decision-making about when to stop driving and adjust to life after driving. We are also interested in knowing how the Driving and Dementia Roadmap may impact how people manage stopping to drive. The findings of this study will be used to improve and ensure that resources, like the Driving and Dementia Roadmap will continue to be available for people with dementia and those who support them. 

What is this Study about?

This study explores the air travel experiences of people living with dementia and their travel companions. We want to understand moments that may feel stressful, confusing, or overwhelming when travelling by air. The information gathered will be used to create recommendations for airlines, airports, and policymakers, helping to make air travel more dementia-friendly, supportive, and enjoyable for people living with dementia and their families.

What is this Study about?

This study explores the hospital experiences of people living with dementia and their care partners, focusing on how hospital and emergency department processes and interactions, often influenced by dementia stigma, influence care quality and outcomes. Insights gathered through interviews will identify barriers and opportunities to improve hospital care for this population. Findings will be used to develop recommendations that promote more responsive, inclusive, and compassionate hospital practices for people living with dementia and their care partners.

What is this Study about?

Have you ever wondered how people feel and think about caregiving for older adults? Our study explores these beliefs and attitudes about unpaid (informal) caregiving for older adults in Canada. Participants will answer questions in an Online Survey that takes approximately 30 minutes.

The data will be analyzed and published in aggregated forms of anonymized data. The findings will help to understand and highlight the Canadian society’s beliefs and attitudes about informal care for older adults and provide a new basis for improving support for caregivers and the people they care for.