ForAging: Facilitating Optimal Routines in Aging

STUDY BASICS

Are you age 60 or older and do you have difficulty managing daily tasks such as shopping, paying bills, managing medications, etc.? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study to help find out if regular sessions with a rehabilitation specialist can help older adults improve their performance of daily activities. Compensation is provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

Many older adults experience mild thinking and memory changes that can make it difficult to perform daily tasks such as shopping, preparing meals, paying bills, and managing medications. In some people, these types of mild changes can progress to more serious health problems.

The purpose of this study is to help researchers find out if regular sessions with a rehabilitation specialist can help older adults improve their performance of daily activities. Researchers hope their findings will lead to better ways to support older adults and help them maintain independence for as long as possible.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Ages 60 and up
• Have difficulty managing daily tasks, such as money management, medication management, technology use, preparing meals, or shopping
• No central nervous disorder such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease
• Never diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
• No substance use disorder within the past five years
• No other major untreated medical or psychological conditions
• Live within 50 miles of the UPMC Oakland campus

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

This study involves an initial phone call to find out if you are eligible to participate in the study. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to one of two groups: a strategy training intervention group or enhanced usual care. Participants in the strategy training intervention group will attend about 10 1-hour sessions with a professional rehabilitation specialist over 5 weeks in your home. Participants in the enhanced usual care group will be asked to document and monitor all mental health treatments they receive from their usual providers. Some participants will also be asked to have one 2-hour visit that includes an MRI/PET scan. Participants will also complete tests and assessments of mood, daily activities, and thinking and memory.