This summer I had the opportunity to serve as a research assistant and community volunteer with the Digital Assessments for Neurodegenerative Disease Detection Improvement (DANDI) lab at Butler Hospital Memory and Aging Program with Brown University. The DANDI lab focuses on the development of digital tools to improve cognitive health amongst geriatric populations through earlier detection of memory and cognitive impairment. My involvement as a research assistant extended into the Digital Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease (DigiCog AD) study, which implemented digital cognitive screenings in 100 older adults’ Primary Care Provider (PCP) visits where both PCPs and patients gave feedback on their experiences using this cognitive screening technology.
Following obtaining PCP interviews, I worked closely with my faculty advisor, Dr. Lousia Thompson, to qualitatively code these interviews into measurable results. By thoroughly reading through the experiences of the providers directly assessing members of the geriatric community, I was able to better understand their mindset towards the adaptability and complexity of DigiCog as well as the inner workings of implementing DigiCog into medical routines. Having this knowledge and background inside the minds of the providers, I developed a codebook to categorically organize and label provider responses into key themes, with each theme containing a brief description. I began to generate a thematic qualitative analysis by starting to double code each of the PCP interviews towards the end of my LiA summer. Through looking into the experiences of implementing DigiCog at the provider level, this work is critical to improve DigiCog’s adaptability into practice and ultimately better geriatric patient cognitive care.
As part of my LiA summer, I volunteered in the annual “Black and Aging Health and Wellness Fair” at the West End Community Center. This event aims to connect black seniors to health and wellness resources, such as free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, in order to promote health equity in diverse aging populations. Alongside the DANDI lab, we informed members of this population about the lab's research program as well as briefly taught ways to promote cognitive health.
My LiA project directly addressed the two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of “Good Health and Well-Being” as well as “Reduced Inequalities”. Specifically, amplifying the voices behind a patient promoted improvements in digital cognitive assessments amongst the elder community, a group that is often overlooked in the healthcare system. Improving these assessments, in turn, allows for advancements in the health and well- being of this population. Further, focusing on improving cognitive healthcare in this particular population highlights voices for creative solutions to make cognitive health more equitable.
As someone who has a strong personal connection to the elder community, I have first-hand experience in understanding that the aging population can be hesitant to adapt to change, especially in the new digital age. Recognizing that my own understanding and perspective of these novel digital technologies is different from those in this population was critical to comprehend. Subsequently, learning to lead with empathy when approaching these diverse perspectives allowed me to look over the PCP interviews through a different lens. Reading these interviews in this way led me to understand how the unique relationship between elder patients and their providers reveal intricate details of their cognitive medical care that often go unacknowledged. By utilizing inclusive leadership in this LiA project, I was able to highlight experiences that may otherwise be overlooked. Having this leadership skill was critical to understand how the lessons learned from this LiA project can extend beyond the summer and into practical medical applications. Particularly, featuring these unique voices in healthcare conversations allows for a more holistic approach to be adapted into patient care. Having acquired these leadership skills, I’ve learned to use my voice creatively to advocate for the community in which I serve.
Within my LiA project, one aspect of the research that I had to consider was how to ethically organize PCP responses into qualitative categories that adequately encompassed their unique narratives. By speaking with members of the elder population at community events as well as members of the lab team who have extensive background in the field, I improved my understanding of how similar experiences can be narrated in a multitude of ways across differing populations. This taught me the importance of viewing data beyond the surface in ethically leading a research analysis; through including diverse perspectives and narratives, it becomes possible to further immerse yourself in the analysis process. By working closely with lab members whose research projects varied across areas of digital cognitive assessments for older adults, I learned how unique perspectives in research can complement each other to improve geriatric healthcare.
Extending this valuable work beyond my LiA project, future directions of the data include interviewing the geriatric patients who directly experienced DigiCog testing themselves to analyze and compare these results. Additionally, these patients will complete a blood plasma biomarker analysis for Alzheimer's disease in order to understand how DigiCog testing results compare to biological markers for Alzheimer's disease. Having this comparison may better contribute to earlier detection of cognitive decline and thus potentially obtaining earlier access to resources for cognitive aging in older populations.
I’m committed to being an advocate for patients whose voices may not always be heard at both the clinical and research levels in order to promote the cognitive health of the aging community. Through this LiA project and beyond, it is my hope that I can continue to produce creative solutions to elder health within the geriatric population to ensure the highest possible quality of cognitive life.
Thank you to the Laidlaw Scholars foundation, my LiA project advisor Dr. Louisa Thompson, and the Brown University LaidLaw Scholars Program in supporting my research.
