The aim of the current study was to examine the acceptability and feasibility of a multicomponent care management program in older adults with advanced dementia in a long-term memory care unit. Eighteen older adults with moderate to severe dementia were asked to wear an activity monitor (Fitbit Charge 2 HR) and participate in a once monthly telehealth intervention via iPads over a 6-month period. Activity monitor data were used to assess compliance. Acceptability was assessed through qualitative interviews conducted with the caregiving staff on the memory unit. The care management program was acceptable to residents and their caregivers. Results indicated that the care management program is feasible in older adults with advanced dementia although activity monitor adherence was better during the day than at night. Telehealth session compliance was excellent throughout the study. A long-term multicomponent dementia care program is acceptable and feasible in individuals with advanced dementia. Future studies should aim to evaluate whether data received from activity monitors can be used in a dementia care intervention program.

We examined the inoculation and stress sensitization explanations concerning mental health outcomes in 223 predominately middle-aged and older adults after a flood (M age = 49.6 years, SD = 17.7 years, range: 18-88 years). In multiple linear regression models, having flood damage was associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms, while social support was associated with fewer symptoms. Greater lifetime trauma and flood-related stress were associated with more symptoms of depression and PTSD, respectively. Older age was associated with more religious coping and fewer depressive and worry symptoms. Future directions for research on postdisaster vulnerabilities and resilience are discussed.

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The coronavirus disease pandemic has brought a new urgency for the development and deployment of web-based applications which complement, and offer alternatives to, traditional one-on-one consultations and pencil-and-paper (PaP) based assessments that currently dominate clinical research. We have recently developed a web-based application that can be used for the self-administered collection of patient demographics, self-rated health, depression and anxiety, and cognition as part of a single platform. In this study we report the findings from a study with 155 cognitively healthy older adults who received established PaP versions, as well as our novel computerized measures of self-rated health, depression and anxiety, and cognition. Moderate to high correlations were observed between PaP and web- based measures of self-rated health (r = 0.77), depression and anxiety (r = 0.72), and preclinical Alzheimer’s disease cognitive composite (PACC) (r = .61). Test-retest correlations were variable with high correlations for a measure of processing speed and a measure of delayed episodic memory. Taken together, these data support the feasibility and validity of utilization of this novel web-based platform as a new alternative for collecting patient demographics and the assessment of self-rated health, depression and anxiety, and cognition in the elderly.

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