COMPUTER BASED INTERVENTION RE DEMENTED ELDERLY

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM THAT WILL ASSIST CAREGIVERS OF ELDERLY VICTIMS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR OF OTHER FORMS OF DEMENTING ILLNESS. CENTRAL TO THIS SYSTEM IS LOW-COST, COMPUTER-BASED INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO REDUCE CAREGIVER DISTRESS BY IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC POSSIBLE CAUSES OF DISTURBING BEHAVIORS AND PROVIDING SUGGESTIONS FORTHEIR MANAGEMENT. SPECIFIC PHASE I OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1. CONFIGURE/AUGMENT EXISTING COMPUTER HARDWARE; 2. CREATESOFTWARE NEEDED FOR A COMPUTER-BASED INTERVENTION SYSTEM, BUILDING UPON A SYSTEM ALREADY DEVELOPED BY THE APPLICANT; 3. CONDUCT A FIELD TRIAL AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE SYSTEM FOR SUBSEQUENT REPLICATION AND WIDESCALE IMPLEMENTATION; 4. DEVELOP A PRELIMINARY BUSINESS PLAN, AS PART OF THE PHASE II APPLICATION. THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 1,000,000 NON-INSTITUTIONALIZED DEMENTED PERSONS, MOST OF WHOM ARE ELDERLY, LIVING IN THE U.S. THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS DIRECTED TO THE CAREGIVERS OF THESE PERSONS, AND WILL PROVIDE INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS AND SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS FORINTERVENTION. THESE ARE BASED INITIALLY UPON CLINICAL REVIEW OF INFORMATION PROVIDED VIA AN IN-HOME TERMINAL AND SUBSEQUENTLY THROUGH COMPUTER-GENERATED INTERVENTION SUGGESTIONS. DMH HAS ASSEMBLED A PROJECT TEAM CONSISTING OFA COMPUTER SPECIALIST, THREE CLINICIANS SPECIALIZING IN WORKWITH ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND A SPECIALIST IN MEASUREMENT AND STATISTICS. IN ADDITION, WORKING THROUGH THE CLINICIANS (ONE OF WHOM IS A BOARD MEMBER OF THE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND RELATED DISORDERS ASSOCIATION), A PANEL OF ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVERS WILL WORK WITH STAFF THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT.