# A Pilot of Memory Support System for Older Chinese Americans with Mild Cognitive Impairment

> **NIH NIH R61** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $550,256

## Abstract

Project Summary
The older Chinese American population has been rising for the last few decades, with the risk of Alzheimer’s
Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) also increasing. Despite the pressing need to
increase racial/ethnic diversity in clinical trial participation in the US, older Chinese Americans remain historically
underrepresented and understudied in AD/ADRD research due to a lack of culturally and linguistically
appropriate study materials and assessment tools. Using Chinese language translations of clinical measures
and cognitive tests, the study PI (Li) successfully enrolled over 200 older Chinese Americans in clinical research
at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Mount Sinai. The sample, with over 80% non-demented
older adults, provides a window of opportunity for early intervention and treatment of AD/ADRD. Since a majority
of older Chinese Americans are foreign born with limited to no English proficiency, they are frequently excluded
from clinical trial participation as English language proficiency is one of the inclusionary criteria. The Memory
Support System (MSS) from the Healthy Action to Benefit Independence & Thinking® (HABIT) Program is a
promising non-pharmacological intervention for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Prior data suggest the
effectiveness of MSS on self-efficacy for memory, adapted functioning, quality of life, depression, and anxiety in
the participants and their study partners, with an excellent retention rate. However, the MSS was primarily
developed and used on non-Hispanic White, English-speaking adults. Additionally, little is known regarding the
effectiveness of MSS on cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with early AD/ADRD. Here, the
study team proposes a 2-year study to translate and adapt the MSS materials and assessment tools from English
into Mandarin and Cantonese - the most common spoken languages in the US after English and Spanish. This
study will leverage Dr. Li’s expertise in research recruitment and enrollment of Chinese American older adults to
answer the following questions: 1) Does Chinese language translation and cultural adaptation of MSS effectively
engage and recruit Chinese Americans in clinical trials for AD/ADRD? (2) Can Chinese Americans with MCI and
their study partners learn and use the MSS? (3) Is the MSS effective in mitigating early symptoms of AD/ADRD
in older Chinese Americans? The team will collaborate with key community stakeholders to ensure that the
materials and tests are culturally and linguistically appropriate for this population. Capitalizing on the older
Chinese American cohort at the ADRC at Mount Sinai, the overarching goal is to extend the MSS to older
Chinese Americans with MCI by developing a linguistically and culturally appropriate adaption. Using 30
Mandarin- and 30 Cantonese-speaking older adults with MCI and their study partners, the primary outcomes are
recruitment, retention, and completion rates ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10929557
- **Project number:** 5R61AG083582-02
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Clara Li
- **Activity code:** R61 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $550,256
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-15 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10929557

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10929557, A Pilot of Memory Support System for Older Chinese Americans with Mild Cognitive Impairment (5R61AG083582-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10929557. Licensed CC0.

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