Alzheimer's is a major disabling disorder. The number of persons in the United States with dementing disorders, now between 4-5 million, will reach 14 million by the year 2020 [11]. Caregiving is associated with higher than usual health and mental health problems, family disharmony, and social isolation [16-18]. To impact this situation, Perceptual Engineering will develop a CD-ROM/Internet resource for caregivers and families of patients suffering from Alzheimer's. This Phase I proposal will develop the multimedia components of the first ten (10) of what will be an eventual fifty (50) Most Commonly Asked Questions about disease. This proof of concept prototype will be created as a shell, enabling its reuse for future versions focused on other diseases. Focus groups will identify, test and validate the process and selection of the fifty Most Commonly Asked questions, and evaluate program effectiveness. A report of findings will accompany the CD-ROM prototype developed during Phase I. Phase II will develop content and programming for additional modules, including the remaining forty (40)Most Commonly Asked Questions. Primary commercialization will concentrate on marketing agreements with medical publishers of interactive multimedia and non-profit organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Joint marketing agreements with commercial software distributors directed at individuals and community access sites such as public libraries, community centers, churches and synagogues. Rural and urban health clinics, physician offices, hospitals and nursing homes. Promotional product for drug companies marketing Alzheimer's drugs. Joint marketing agreements with non-profit organizations such as the American Alzheimer's Association.
Thesaurus Terms:Alzheimer's disease, Internet, caregiver, computer assisted instruction, interactive multimedia, optical data storage education evaluation /planning, health education, patient care personnel attitude, questionnaire, training aid behavioral /social science research tag, human subjectNational Institute on Aging (NIA)
