The Alzheimer Society Research Portal connects researchers with Canadians looking to participate in research studies. On this website, find active studies that you can participate in to help advance research on dementia.
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Selecting one or more of the options below will update the content below.
- Observational StudyIn-Person and Online
What is this Study about?
Participants will take part in a one-on-one interview (in person or online) to share thoughts on reminders and changes in behavior that should be tracked by the system. Interviews will last about 60 minutes. A short follow-up (20 minutes or less) may also be requested later to provide extra feedback on the system’s design.
Eligibility Criteria
You are eligible to participate if you:
- Are an informal caregiver of a person living with dementia
- Provide at least 30 hours of care per week
- Speak and understand English
- Are able to give informed consent
- (Optional) The person you care for may also join if eligible
Recruitment End Date
- Observational StudyIn-Person and Online
What is this Study about?
This study is testing a digital reminder system for people living with dementia. The system sends alerts when daily routines change and collects feedback from caregivers. The goal is to improve the system’s design and usefulness. Results will help make reminder tools more supportive for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Eligibility Criteria
You are eligible to participate if you are a person living with dementia and you:
- Have a clinical diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia
- Were diagnosed within the past 2 years
- Speak and understand English
- Are able to give informed consent
- Have internet access at home
- Are part of a caregiver-participant pair (dyad)
You are eligible to participate if you are a caregiver and you:
- Are an informal caregiver (family member or friend)
- Provide at least 30 hours of care per week to a person living with dementia
- Speak and understand English
- Are able to give informed consent
- Can participate in a home setup session and follow-up interviewRecruitment End Date
- Clinical TrialOnline
What is this Study about?
‘Bootle Blast’ combines therapy and video games. It has been used with children and youth with musculoskeletal disabilities in clinics and homes. Preliminary research supports Bootle Blast’s ability to engage players and support physical outcomes. Informal testing suggests it may also appeal to older adults. This study will test Bootle Blast’s feasibility with people with dementia. Pairs of people with dementia and their caregivers (n=10) will play Bootle Blast at home for 2 weeks. Data will include video recordings, surveys, balance tests, safety and adherence tracking, and interviews. This study aims to inform a more accessible version of Bootle Blast.
Eligibility Criteria
People with Dementia
• Live in Ontario, Canada (within a two-hour drive from Toronto, Ontario)
• Speak and understand English
• Agree to be video and audio recorded as part of the study
• Be able to stand and walk, with or without an assistive device (e.g., a walker)
• Have the capacity to provide independent, informed consent
Caregivers
• Live in Ontario, Canada (within a two-hour drive from Toronto, Ontario)
• Speak and understand English
• Agree to be video and audio recorded as part of the studyRecruitment End Date
- Observational StudyOnline
What is this Study about?
This study looks at how an at-home nature-based virtual reality (VR) program may help people living with Alzheimer’s disease manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as depression. Caregivers/study partners will have the option of taking part in the study and providing feedback regarding the VR intervention. This project will explore how VR can be used as a non-pharmacological approach to prolong aging in place for individuals with BPSD, as BPSD contributes to rates of institutionalization. This will take place completely remotely, in your own home.
Eligibility Criteria
AD-D Participant Inclusion Criteria:
1) Clinical diagnosis of mild to early-moderate stage AD (including mixed dementia with AD) using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Ed. Criteria (29)
2) Age of 50 years or older
3) Medical stability to participate in the trial
4) Patient Health Questionnaire score 5-14
5) Investigator judgement on whether the participant is comfortable with technology
6) Access to WiFi and a smart device for connecting on WebEx and downloading the Fitbit and Muse applications
7) Have someone available to be present during all sessions
Caregiver Inclusion Criteria:1) 18 years of age or older
2) Available to be present for all sessions
3) Ability to provide consent
4) Access to a smart device
Caregiver Exclusion Criteria:
1) Under 18 years of age
Recruitment End Date
- Observational StudyOnline & In-Person
What is this Study about?
In collaboration with our South Asian community collaborators, our goal is to gain an in-depth understanding of new immigrant, multigenerational, South Asian family caregiving for a relative with dementia amidst COVID-19. The goal is to inform future family-centered, healthcare interventions aimed at supporting equity deserving families during times of crisis.
To achieve our goal, we are starting to recruit family care partners living in a multigenerational home and caring for a relative with dementia from each of the four groups of South Asian families. We will be using a multiple case study to examine new immigrant, multigenerational caregiving for a relative with dementia from the perspective of four groups of South Asian families; 1) Pakistani, 2) Bangladeshi, 3) Indian, and 4) Sri Lankan. We will also be using secondary data sources, including genograms, ecoMaps, and key documents.
We will be conducting interviews with a family care partners from each of the four groups. Following these interviews, we will hold four focus groups with a new purposeful sample of South Asian multigenerational care partners to understand if the findings from the interviews reflect their caregiving experiences thereby increasing the reliability of the study findings.
Eligibility Criteria
You are eligible if
1. You are caring for a family member or relative with memory loss or dementia
2. You are living in a multigenerational South Asian Family
3. You Identify with any of these four South Asian Countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
4. You live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
Recruitment End Date
- Observational StudyOnline
What is this Study about?
In this study we aim to explore the motivations and impacts of disclosure a personal diagnosis of dementia or being a care partner on social media. The overall goal of the study is to develop an evidence-based resource to promote benefits of social media for the dementia community while minimizing its harms.
Eligibility Criteria
-Identify as an individual living with dementia
-Identify as a care partner
-Are over the age of 19
-Have posted on social media about living with dementia or being a care partner
-Speak English
If you are interested in participating, please contact [email protected] or sign up using the following link: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5nGjQ2K27SEZwOi
Recruitment End Date
- Observational StudyOnline
What is this Study about?
CAN-PROTECT is a Canada-wide online study recruiting participants and caregivers of persons with dementia to explore how lifestyle, background, and caretaking factors affect our health, quality of life, cognition, behaviour, and function as we age. CAN-PROTECT data will be analyzed and jointly published by the University of Calgary in partnership with the University of Exeter.
Eligibility Criteria
- Age 18 years or older
- Reside in Canada
- Have access to a computer/touchscreen device
- Can provide informed consent
- Do not have a diagnosis of dementia
- Additionally, we are enrolling participants who have previously or currently care for persons with dementia for caregiver-specific assessments
- Ability to speak English
Recruitment End Date
- Clinical TrialOnline & In-Person
What is this Study about?
To examine the effects of a stress management program on well-being, stress, and cognition in family caregivers of someone with dementia or a related neurodegenerative disorder. We will be recruiting participants from 2023 - 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
- are a primary family caregiver of a person with dementia or a related neurodegenerative disorder.
- have access to a computer with high-speed internet; and feel comfortable using email and Zoom (a secure online meeting platform).
- have a video camera on your device. To ensure safety of participants during the program sessions, it is important that participants turn on their video camera. Keeping the video camera on is also important to build trust within the group sessions and when interacting with the researchers.
- are willing to be randomised to one of 3 groups, even if it is not your preferred group.
- are able to commit to a synchronous 8-week online group-based program (described below) and complete daily prescribed daily home practices.
- are able to commit to three assessment sessions: one baseline assessment, one post-program assessment, one 12-month follow-up assessment.
- agree to audio recording of interview sessions and portions of the assessment that require accurate verbal data collection.
- are able to provide blood samples, potentially after a 12-hour fast.
- are able to travel to a LifeLabs clinic for biomarker collection.
- agree to refrain from participating in new studies or programs during the 8-week study session.
- meet the screening criteria during the pre-screening interview.
- ability to speak English.
Recruitment End Date
- Observational StudyIn-Person
What is this Study about?
The aim of our study is to better understand whether certain lifestyle factors (such as physical activity and hearing) are related to early changes in memory and thinking abilities in older adults. We are especially interested in enrolling individuals who are South Asian or East Asian, because little research has focused on brain health in Canadians of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds.
By participating, you will help us better understand how lifestyle factors are related to memory and thinking changes in adults from diverse communities. We hope that this will lead to improved prevention and early intervention strategies for dementia.
Eligibility Criteria
You are eligible to participate if you…
- Are 55-85 years old
- Have no major medical or psychiatric diagnoses
- Are comfortable speaking and reading English
- Are able to undergo an MRI scan
-Speak English
Eligibility is dependent on an additional conversation with the study team.
Recruitment End Date
Alzheimer Society of Canada
20 Eglinton Avenue West, 16th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M4R 1K8
Information and Referral Line: 1-855-705-4636
Email: [email protected]
Charity registration number: 11878 4925 RR0001
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