LifeBio Memory: Development of a Reminiscence Therapy Online Platform With Machine Learning to Increase Engagement (LifeBio Memory)

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) are becoming more prevalent in the United States. It is expected that the number of people affected will increase to 7.2 million by 2025 and 11.2 million by 2040. This is accompanied by a staggering cost of care, amounting to $345 billion annually in the US alone, with Medicare and Medicaid accounting for $222 billion of that amount. Globally, the cost of dementia is estimated to be over $1.3 trillion in 2021, and it is expected to rise to $2.8 trillion by 2030.

The effectiveness of LifeBioMEMORY (LBM) technology has shown promise in increasing engagement and social support through life story capture and RT opportunities among institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment and formal caregivers. More than 1,000 individuals have been voice recorded in nursing home or residential living settings as a result of LBM Phase II SBIR grant. LBM's Phase IIB renewal application is to continue research and development and to advance toward further commercialization, with NIA's commitment to funding R&D for interventions for prevention or treatment of MCI and ADRD. With LMM Phase IIB based on RT and now capturing life stories in older adults' own voices, the investigtors propose to build and then validate an enhanced multi-language version of the LBM app with a diverse, non-institutionalized population to investigate linguistic and cultural appropriateness, focusing on Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American (as one of subgroups, Korean), Black or African-American, and non-Hispanic White older adults with MCI or at risk of MCI and their informal caregivers.

The specific aims of this SBIR application are to: 1) Update the LBM for culturally relevant multi-lingual support, 2) Assess its usability, and 3) Evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy through a randomized waitlist-controlled trial using a mixed methods approach among diverse racial and ethnic dyads, each consisting of an older adult participant (with MCI or at risk of MCI) and an informal caregiver. This involves 84 older adult participants and 84 informal caregivers, including 21 Hispanic/Latinx, 21 Korean, 21 Black or African American, and 21 non-Hispanic White dyads. Outcomes such as health-related quality of life, depression, relationship closeness, and loneliness will be measured at baseline, 4 weeks post-follow-up, and 12 weeks post-follow-up. Additionally, user activities and qualitative interviews will be used to understand user experience, leading to recommended changes to the LBM interface by LifeBio as a result of Aims 2 and 3.