# A stakeholder derived intervention to enhance technology engagement and reduce the emotional divide in distance caregiving of older adults with cognitive impairment

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2024 · $189,111

## Abstract

Project Summary
This career development award will provide the applicant (Alyssa Weakley, PhD) with the necessary training,
knowledge, and experience to transition to an independent research career. Dr. Weakley’s overall career goal is
to develop and validate accessible and innovative technology-based interventions that improve everyday
functioning in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), caregiving needs of
informal family caregivers, and the relationship/bond of the care dyad. Dr. Weakley will build toward this goal
with training and mentorship in (1) methods for identifying stakeholder (i.e., caregiver, care receiver) needs
regarding technology use, adoption, and adherence; (2) developing inclusive (in terms of race/ethnicity) and
accessible (in terms of technology familiarity) caregiver interventions; (3) randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
of behavioral interventions; and (4) multidisciplinary team leadership and technology-based data
management. Training aided by expert mentorship in these four areas will provide Dr. Weakley with the
knowledge and skills to complete three research aims, the focus of the proposed research project. These aims
include (1) identifying approaches to help cognitively impaired care receivers and distance caregivers engage
with technology via stakeholder focus groups; (2) iteratively adapt and refine, through stakeholder co-design
and participatory research methods, an intervention that facilitates use and integrates a remote caregiving
web-based tool (Interactive-Care (I-CARE)) into everyday life; and (3) implementing a pilot RCT examining the
feasibility and acceptability of the I-Care target intervention relative to basic I-Care training alone. The
proposed research is significant because it couples innovative remote caregiver technology with stakeholder
engagement to develop and test a novel intervention designed to improve outcomes for care receivers,
caregivers, and their dyadic relationship. No research, to the applicant’s knowledge, has utilized a co-design
approach for technology training that encapsulates remote caregiver and care receiver needs. Results will serve
as pilot data for an R01 study that further investigates the most robust, scalable, and accessible approaches to
improving functional outcomes in older adults with ADRD and caregivers. To complete her research and
training aims, Dr. Weakley will leverage existing resources with expertise at three centers at University of
California Davis: National Institute on Aging funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Healthy Aging
in a Digital World initiative, and the Family Caregiving Institute. These resources, along with the mentoring
team’s strong commitment to Dr. Weakley’s research program, will provide Dr. Weakley with an enriched
environment that will undoubtedly help her achieve her career development goals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10819592
- **Project number:** 5K23AG080152-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Alyssa Mae Weakley
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $189,111
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-04-15 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10819592

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10819592, A stakeholder derived intervention to enhance technology engagement and reduce the emotional divide in distance caregiving of older adults with cognitive impairment (5K23AG080152-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10819592. Licensed CC0.

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