# Compensation Training and Lifestyle Modifications to promote healthy aging in persons at risk for Alzheimer's disease: a digital application supported intervention

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2024 · $702,494

## Abstract

The prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and other disorders (ADRDs) is now a public health crisis. In the
absence of effective medical treatment, there is a critical need for behavioral interventions to prevent or delay
symptom onset. Multidomain interventions simultaneously targeting multiple modifiable risks for ADRD have
shown promise, but additional innovative approaches that could be highly accessible by capitalizing on user-
friendly digital applications to support and strengthen behavior modification are needed. Training in the use of
compensatory aids (e.g., calendars and note taking systems) can improve daily independence. These same
compensatory tools can be employed to facilitate the adoption of lifestyle changes that support brain health
(e.g., exercise, cognitive engagement, stress management) through management of goal-setting, behavioral
monitoring, tracking and feedback. The current project will test a 6-month intervention that provides training
in both compensatory aids and lifestyle modification. A comprehensive suite of digital tools encapsulated in the
Digital Memory Notebook (DMN), an easy to use, interactive application, will be used to facilitate behavioral
change and enhance participant motivation. Further, the DMN allows collection of real-time data to track
intervention adherence. The DMN has been successfully applied to improving compensation among
individuals with mild cognitive impairment. The proposed work capitalizes on a critical window for building
resilience by targeting individuals at risk for ADRD due to a subjective cognitive concern (SCC) but who remain
cognitively normal. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) among ethnoracially diverse older
adults with SCC to compare our digital app supported compensation training and lifestyle modification
intervention to an education only control group that will not use the DMN or be provided with guidance on
how to implement the educational material into their daily lives. Specific aims of the project include: 1)
evaluate intervention efficacy on primary outcomes (global cognition and everyday function); secondary
outcomes focus on well-being, cognitive domains (memory and executive function), activities of daily living
(IADLs), physical function, compensation, and health behaviors; 2) evaluate characteristics of treatment
responders; 3) evaluate adherence and identify the effective components of the target intervention using a
mixed-method approach; and 4) design machine learning algorithms that use patterns of change in real-time
DMN data metrics to identify incipient declines in treatment adherence and changes in health status. The
intervention under study is novel because it applies training in compensation to support lifestyle modifications
and everyday functioning using a digital app that also monitors adherence to each component of the
intervention in real-time. The project is expected to expand understanding of factors that may impact
adherence to an...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10771261
- **Project number:** 5R01AG066748-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** MAUREEN SCHMITTER-EDGECOMBE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $702,494
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-01-15 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10771261

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10771261, Compensation Training and Lifestyle Modifications to promote healthy aging in persons at risk for Alzheimer's disease: a digital application supported intervention (5R01AG066748-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10771261. Licensed CC0.

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