Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Neurotechnology
• Gerontology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Widespread adoption of wearable technologies for aging individuals with cognitive impairment remains limited.
• This hinders the realization of wearables' potential in dementia care and improving outcomes.
• Barriers to adoption prevent leveraging these technologies for conditions like mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To share lessons learned from co-designing and launching the CORTEX program.
• To empower community groups and individuals with lived experience in testing and implementing wearable technology.
• To demonstrate how learnings informed the creation of the Canadian Dementia Registry.

Main Methods:

• Co-designing the CORTEX program with community groups and people with lived experience.
• Conducting pilot studies in partnership with patient groups.
• Launching the Canadian Dementia Registry in collaboration with the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.

Main Results:

• The CORTEX program empowers community-led testing and scaling of neurotechnology.
• Pilot studies provided valuable insights into wearable technology implementation in real-world settings.
• The Canadian Dementia Registry facilitates understanding dementia diagnosis, testing neurotechnologies, and integrating them into care pathways.

Conclusions:

• Community-led initiatives like CORTEX are crucial for overcoming barriers to wearable technology adoption in dementia care.
• Co-design and real-world testing enhance the relevance and scalability of neurotechnologies.
• The Canadian Dementia Registry serves as a platform for advancing dementia research and improving care access.