Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2023
The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest forum for the dementia research community. This conference aims to bring together clinical researchers, clinicians, trainees and individuals from the care research community to share scientific breakthroughs and new interventions in the field of dementia. Hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association, this year’s conference is taking place virtually and in person in Amsterdam, Netherlands from July 16- 20.
Each year, we are proud to showcase the work done at DATE lab at this conference and this year we had 3 lab members presenting in person! Scroll down to learn more about the exciting projects featured. (** denotes conference presenter)
Peer group leadership for dementia health risk reduction
Mary T Hynes**, Monika Kastner, Nicole D. Anderson, and Arlene J. Astell
Master’s student Mary Hynes presented a virtual poster on the importance of peer support groups in self-management of health-risk behaviour
How do people with young onset dementia use technology in the workplace?
Kristina Marie Kokorelias, Katherine Bak, Louise Nygard, Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonon, Ann-Charlotte Nedlud, Mervi Issakainen, Charlotta Ryd, Jennifer Boger, and Arlene J. Astell
Workplace accommodations for individuals with dementia: experiences from three countries
Katherine Bak, Kristina Marie Kokorelias, Louise Nygard, Mervi Issakainen, Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonon, Ann-Charlotte Nedlud, Charlotta Ryd, and Arlene J. Astell
Together Stronger: A creative arts program for children of a parent with young onset dementia
Darya Moiseyeva, Janet Goodman, Phillippa Heath, Lizzie Harrison, Charlie Draper, and Arlene Astell
RESILIEN-T: Field testing a lifestyle coaching app for subjective cognitive decline
Arlene J. Astell, Alana Bernick, Maria Acenas, Danielle Saney, Swathi Swaminathan, Sara Casaccia, Lorenzo Scalise, Alessandro Pollini, Pierre Oberholzer, Xandra van Megen, Joost Hermanns
Dr. Astell Shares Her Thoughts About the Conference
Dr. Astell attended the conference to present some of the posters and represent the lab at this very important event! Here is what she had to say about the experience.
AAAIC 2023 in Amsterdam is bustling as the hybrid conference is in full swing. Each day we are jostling with 999 other posters to attract interested viewers to ours. On Day 1, I presented Together Stronger, a creative arts program for children of a parent with young onset dementia. This exciting project was developed by the Younger People with Dementia Community Interest Company and the Museum of English Rural Life, both in Reading in the UK. They worked with the local Admiral Nurse - a specialist nurse who supports the families of people living with dementia - to develop a program for children and young adults to meet and participate together in creative activities. Our evaluation showed that the young people really enjoyed coming to the museum and interacting with other people in the same position. It helped their well-being and socialization by realizing they were not alone.
I was also fortunate to meet Will a young carer from the UK, whose mother is living with young onset dementia. Will was attending his first conference, sponsored by Lorenzo's House, a US charity that supports families with young onset dementia. Lorenzo's House has a wealth of programs to support young people who have a parent with young onset dementia, and Will is passionate about raising awareness of the condition, and making more resources available for the community.
On Day 2, I presented Katherine Bak's poster on the experiences of people living with dementia accessing workplace accommodations. Katherine is a PhD student in the Psychology program at University of Toronto. As part of the program, students complete an outside project in addition to their doctoral research and Katherine joined the DATE lab for hers. She participated in the multidisciplinary, international MCI@Work project, which has been gathering experiences of people who develop dementia whilst they are working in Canada, Finland and Sweden. The main finding is that people often make their own accommodation, using high- and low-tech solutions. Whether people receive accommodations from their employers, depends on their job role, the organization they work for, the workplace culture and prior workplace relationships. We are currently digging into the employer's side of the relationship in the AGE-WELL funded Cog@work project.
In terms of headlines, the release of results from the Donanemab study, a new drug that targets amyloid deposits in the brain has generated a lot of excitement. How this will translate into treatment availability is still to be seen and the drug is not without significant side effects.
There are also concerns about the readiness of health systems around the world to deal with these emerging treatments, which require patients to attend hospitals for regular infusions. We wait to see how the story unfolds over the coming months!
To learn more about the study, click here.
ERICA Dove attends THE PRE-CONFERENCE
Erica Dove, PhD student
In addition to poster presentations, lab members also participated in the pre-conference events that took place this past weekend.
Technology and Dementia, a pre-conference to the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), was held on Saturday, July 15th, 2023, during the in-person event in Amsterdam. The pre-conference was organized by the Technology and Dementia Professional Interest Area (PIA) of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART).
The pre-conference convened researchers (including members of the DATE lab) and industry members interested in technology research and development. Sessions explored various types of technologies as tools to support innovative study design in research and as interventions for people living with dementia and their care partners. The program consisted of invited speakers and oral and poster presentations from submitted abstracts.
PhD student Erica Dove, who is also Communications Student Trainee of the Tech PIA, moderated a session on “technology to provide meaningful activities to people living with dementia and their care partners.”
This is what she had to say about the event:
I felt inspired, as several individuals were doing great work in dementia and technology. The main message that came across, which we already do in the lab, is to collaborate across disciplines and with end users of technology (i.e., people with dementia and care partners) and remember the person as a whole and how technologies can truly support people in their daily lives.