The Centre for Innovation and Research in Aging (CIRA) is looking for research participants for their most recent research project, titled: Passive Aware for At-Home Informal Dementia Care. This project is funded by the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation. The goal of this project is to reduce feelings of stress and burden for caregivers and to enable individuals experiencing memory loss or dementia to more safely and comfortably live in their home and community.
We are seeking participants who meet the following criteria:
1) A informal caregiver of an adult aged 65 or older who is experiencing memory loss or has been diagnosed with dementia.
2) Older adult with memory loss/dementia is currently living in Canada and resides in the community (i.e., in their own home, caregiver’s home, home of another individual in the community, or in an assisted living facility).
3) Access to the internet within the older adult’s home.
4) Access to either a smartphone, tablet or computer by the informal caregiver.
As a caregiver participating in this research study, you will meet with a research coordinator to collect demographic information about you and the person you are caring for, as well as to learn about your experiences and well-being as a caregiver.
If you choose to participate, you will be provided with PassiveAware sensor technology and simple instructions on how to install the sensors on objects of your choosing in the older adult’s home to help monitor activities in their activities of daily living. This monitoring system is connected to a website and Smartphone App that can be downloaded onto a caregiver’s device, which will allow for the caregiver to check on their loved one by checking which activities of daily living they have completed that day, as well as the temperature and humidity in the home. The PassiveAware sensors are barely noticeable and nonintrusive.
We hope that the ability to passively monitor specific activities and the conditions in the home will help reduce feelings of caregiver stress and worry, instill a sense of peace of mind, and also empower informal caregivers to allocate their care resources in a specific, personalized, and more efficient-manner.
Upon completion of the 6-month commitment to the research study, participants will each receive a $25 grocery gift card ($50 total). The Centre for Innovation and Research in Aging is a non-profit research organization.
Since its incorporation in the spring of 2018, CIRA has received several research funding grants and has fostered research collaborations with stakeholders, researchers and academics from across Canada. To date, our research has spanned many topics that impact older-adults including medication management, emotional well-being, physical health, safety, and cognitive ability. Housed within the sprawling York Care Centre campus, CIRA conducts research that enriches the lives of residents, staff, and family members and members of the greater community.
To learn more about CIRA, visit our website at https://agingresearch.ca/, or check us out on social media by searching Centre for Innovation and Research in Aging on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Potential participants can inquire about this research study by reaching out to the following project investigators:
Justine Henry
Project Lead
(506) 444-3880 ext. 2562; jhenry@ycc-cira.ca
Thank you for your interest!