Home-based Digital Technologies: A Translational Approach to Support Aging-in-Place for Rural African-Americans with Alzheimer’s Disease and their Care Partners

PROJECT SUMMARY Candidate and Career Development Plan: This REDI Mentored Entrepreneurial Career Development Award (K01) will support Otis (Shaun) Owens, Ph.D. to establish an independent program of translational research for supporting aging-in-place for African-Americans living with ADRD and their care partners. Dr. Owens is an

Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina’s College of Social Work with expertise in developing technology-based programs to support healthy aging. Dr. Owens will strengthen and address gaps in his experience through a mentored training program focusing on: (1) advancing his knowledge of remote monitoring

technologies for aging-in-place among community-dwelling individuals living with ADRD (2) developing skills in the quantitative research methods used to analyze and visualize longitudinal sensor data from remote monitoring technologies; and (3) building the entrepreneurial acumen for transforming academic innovations into

commercially viable products or services. Mentoring and Environment: Dr. Owens is supported by a team of senior researchers/mentors, including Dr. Sue Levkoff in ADRD, Drs. Jeffrey Kaye in remote monitoring technologies/data analytics, and Mr. Larry Frye in entrepreneurship. Training activities will take place at two highly

collaborative research environments i.e., the University of South Carolina, and Oregon Health & Science University. Research: Rural, low-income African-Americans have the highest ADRD incidence and prevalence rates but have the least access to formal quality dementia-relate care. To support aging-in-place among

individuals living with ADRD, there is growing evidence that demonstrates remote monitoring technologies can augment care partners and other support services by facilitating the completion of activities of daily living and maintaining communication between individuals living with ADRD and their care partners. Despite the success of

remote technologies, no studies have investigated the impact of remote monitoring on the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of remote monitoring technologies among rural, lower-income African Americans living with ADRD and their care partners. Understanding the impact of remote monitoring technology on this population can

guide the development of tailored aging-in-place interventions for rural, lower-income African Americans living with ADRD and their care partners. Specific Aims: Among rural, low-income African Americans living with ADRD, I seek to (1) identify barriers to aging-in-place, current technology use behaviors, and attitudes toward remote

monitoring technologies among low-income African Americans living with ADRD and their care partners and (2) examine the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of deploying a remote monitoring system in the homes of rural low-income African-Americans living with ADRD and their care partners for supporting activities of daily living. The

proposed mentored research and training will provide Dr. Owens with the preliminary data for larger grants (e.g., SBIR) to support his long-term goal of establishing an independent research program that produces commercially viable solutions for promoting aging-in-place among individuals living with ADRD and their care partners.