# Commercializing In-Home Supportive Technolgy for Dementia Caregivers

> **NIH NIH SB1** · PEOPLE POWER COMPANY · 2021 · $1,567,178

## Abstract

Abstract
 Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, or mild cognitive impairment is a highly
meaningful part of family life. However, the associated burden and strain can have adverse effects on
caregivers including declines in mental and physical health, reduced well-being, and increased mortality.
These effects can compromise care quality for people with dementia (PWD). Empirically-supported
interventions are needed that: (a) target mechanisms and pathways shown to connect troublesome behavioral
symptoms in PWD with adverse effects in caregivers; (b) make low demands on caregivers’ limited time and
energy; (c) can be personalized and adapted to the needs of different caregivers and PWDs as they change
over time; and (d) can be disseminated successfully into larger community settings. In this Commercialization
Readiness Pilot (CRP) application, we seek support for technical assistance and late stage research and
development activities prior to the commercial launch of People Power Caregiver (PPCg). PPCg consists of a
hardware system (sensors, monitoring devices, wearables), apps, and cloud services that combine Internet-of-
Things (i.e., devices that communicate automatically over the internet) technologies with machine learning
algorithms that run in the home and in the cloud to create a more supportive home environment for caregivers
and people in their care. PPCg was developed with support from an SBIR Fast Track award to People Power
Company and the Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory (BPL) at the University of California, Berkeley.
People Power is an award-winning, established leader in home monitoring and Internet-of-Things technology.
BPL has been engaged in basic and applied research with PWDs and their caregivers for almost 20 years.
CRP funding would enable us to commercialize PPCg successfully by supporting three specific aims:
Aim 1: Increase PPCg accessibility. We will develop new versions of PPCg and conduct randomized
controlled trials (RCTs) in underserved populations that evaluate effects on caregiver health, well-being, and
user satisfaction in rural homes (Study 1) and Spanish language homes (Study 2).
Aim 2: Increase PPCg support for wearable devices. We will evaluate PPCg with two wearable devices that
monitor PWD movement and location, analyzing CareActive watch data (Study 3) as a way of improving
alerting of worrisome events (e.g., wandering), and conducting an RCT with Apple watches (Study 4) to
determine effects on caregiver health, well-being, and user satisfaction.
Aim 3: Readying People Power for commercializing PPCg. To prepare People Power to commercialize
PPCg successfully, we will: (a) add Spanish-speaking customer service staff; (b) increase intellectual property
protection by filing 5 non-provisional PPCg patent applications; and (c) partner with companies that serve large
numbers of older customers (e.g., telecom companies and utilities) and have deep senior care expertise (e.g.,
pro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10259751
- **Project number:** 2SB1AG059458-04A1
- **Recipient organization:** PEOPLE POWER COMPANY
- **Principal Investigator:** Gene Wang
- **Activity code:** SB1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,567,178
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2021-09-30 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10259751

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10259751, Commercializing In-Home Supportive Technolgy for Dementia Caregivers (2SB1AG059458-04A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10259751. Licensed CC0.

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