According to research by the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of adults with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to rise from 6.5 million to 13 million by 2050. Baby Boomers are passing through the age band for which they are at the greatest risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and the evidence for slowing down the disease progression through medicine-based solutions is inconsistent. Alyssa Lanzi, Research Assistant Professor for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, received $870,225 as part of a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award from the National Institute on Aging to fund her research focused on confronting cognitive decline in older adults at risk for developing dementia from Alzheimer’s disease.

The five-year research grant funds a clinical trial designed to collect data for a larger scale grant as well as training development.

Lanzi developed the Structured External Memory Aid Treatment, a 7-week compensation-based intervention designed to promote independent living skills by teaching the use of strategies to compensate for cognitive weaknesses. These strategies consist of employing note-taking systems, calendars, planners, timers, and medication systems to manage daily tasks. Lanzi and her team are recruiting community-dwelling older adults who have mild memory impairments and complete everyday activities independently. They are targeting this population to intervene early and possibly delay further progression for older adults at risk for dementia from Alzheimer’s disease.

Lanzi explained that the treatment is designed to help participants enhance their performance of everyday tasks.

“Our focus is to teach participants strategies and tools to help compensate for their impairments,” Lanzi said. “What’s unique about our research is our plan isn’t necessarily designed to improve memory per se. It focuses on function and helping older maintain their independence and complete everyday activities effectively.”

A unique component of the treatment is that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, as everyone has their own unique challenges, as well as existing strengths. Lanzi and her team designed the treatment to be structured so that it can be implemented in a clinical setting but also customized to meet individual needs.

Lanzi said, “It is important that we do not simply give someone a memory aid, but that we listen to their needs and what is meaningful to them and then co-design the strategy based on their needs and evidence-based practice. Additionally, the treatment is delivered in a group setting, providing psychosocial support as these older adults face cognitive decline together, and via telehealth to help reach older adults who are often underserved and underrepresented in clinical trials.”

Matthew Cohen, Assistant Professor from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, operates as Lanzi’s co-primary mentor for the grant. In addition to his mentorship role, Cohen helps conduct cognitive assessments to determine eligibility and optimal fit for the treatment.

“There is early evidence that behavioral and lifestyle changes can delay the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease,” Cohen said. “Alyssa’s treatment provides an opportunity to potentially modify the trajectory of decline and help these patients maintain independence. If the onset of dementia can be delayed for even a year, there are huge benefits for the individual, their family, and the healthcare system.”

Looking at research from an interdisciplinary lens is essential as Lanzi, a speech-language pathologist, and Cohen, a neuropsychologist, collaborate to establish an Alzheimer’s disease research agenda that prioritizes implementation into clinical settings. “We often wait too long to think about implementation into clinical settings when designing and testing treatments,” Lanzi said.

Lanzi’s grant provides an opportunity to conduct implementation-informed research design, as well as a model collaboration between cognitive assessment and cognitive rehabilitation practices, which are not always united in clinical practice.

“This work relates to other research within the College of Health Science,” Cohen said. “A handful of investigators are working together to develop infrastructure for larger and more impactful Alzheimer’s Disease research. As a major funding priority for the National Institutes of Health, Alyssa’s grant is an excellent step forward for UD to be a major player in this area of research.”

This article describes research funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23AG070185.