{"id":44253,"date":"2022-05-23T13:35:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T13:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pr.asianetpakistan.com\/?p=92174"},"modified":"2022-05-23T13:35:30","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T13:35:30","slug":"davos-alzheimers-collaborative-announces-early-detection-innovation-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricavoice.com\/davos-alzheimers-collaborative-announces-early-detection-innovation-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"DAVOS ALZHEIMER\u2019S COLLABORATIVE ANNOUNCES EARLY DETECTION INNOVATION GRANTS"},"content":{"rendered":"
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, May 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The\u00a0Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative<\/a>\u00a0(DAC),\u00a0<\/b>the organization leading an unprecedented global response to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, today\u00a0announced the recipients of a grant program aiming for early detection of cognitive symptoms. The\u00a0early detection\u00a0grants total\u00a0$4.5 Million from 8 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.<\/p>\n The grants are an initiative of the\u00a0DAC Healthcare System Preparedness Project,\u00a0which aims to advance how healthcare systems worldwide detect, diagnose, treat, and care for people with or at risk for Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n Grantees are located throughout the\u00a0US, Brunei, Kenya, Germany, Japan, Canada, Cuba, and Armenia. Several grants will focus on expanding cognition screening and training for primary care providers. Others are harnessing innovative technologies to utilize optometrists and pharmacists. This will expand the pool of frontline workers available to screen for early detection, and reduce the unnecessary use of\u00a0\u00a0specialist care. Another deploys a mobile clinic to offer direct clinical support or equip digital tablets to volunteer workers to rapidly improve detection\u00a0\u00a0rates.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0George Vradenburg, Founding Chairman of\u00a0the Board, Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative, \u201cEach grant will bring unique and measurable benefits to its local health system and community and, through DAC\u2019s global learning network, will also spread their learnings broadly around the world.\u00a0Finding new and innovative ways to advance early detection is paramount to improving healthcare systems\u2019 abilities to provide better care today, and to prepare for the future availability of treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n The grant application process was extensive, with\u00a0DAC\u00a0receiving 76 responses from 21 countries in two months.\u00a0A diverse panel of experts, including a family member of an Alzheimer\u2019s patient living with the disease, served as an independent review committee for these grants:<\/p>\n \u201cEarly detection of cognitive decline is critical for patients and families and I am excited to see the Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative tackling this challenge with their Health System Preparedness Initiative,\u201d says Chandresh Harjivan, a family member of an Alzheimer\u2019s patient. \u201cI was honored to be asked to be part of such an esteemed review committee and am very happy that families living with the disease were part of the evaluation process.\u201d<\/p>\n A summary of each grant can be found below.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n About\u00a0<\/b>the Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative<\/b><\/p>\n Launched at the World Economic Forum\u2019s 2021 meeting on The Davos Agenda, The Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder partnership committed to aligning stakeholders with a new vision for our collective global response against the challenges Alzheimer\u2019s presents to patients, caregivers and healthcare infrastructures. Convened by The World Economic Forum and The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer\u2019s Disease (CEOi) and fueled by a mission of service to the estimated 150 million families and half a billion people inevitably impacted by this disease by 2050, DAC is a collaborative for the benefit of all people, in all places.<\/p>\n About DAC\u2019s Healthcare System Preparedness Project<\/b><\/p>\n DAC\u2019s\u00a0Healthcare System Preparedness Project (DAC-SP) is funding innovative approaches that\u00a0measurably increase rates of cognitive screening, early detection and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer\u2019s through pilot projects and early detection grants.\u00a0The pilot projects\u00a0are:\u00a0AdventHealth\u00a0 ***PLEASE NOTE: Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to view a recorded discussion with some of the grant recipients, in which over 500 global leaders from 53 countries tuned in to learn about early detection. Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to be kept informed about updated information regarding the DAC initiative.<\/p>\n Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative Early Detection Grants<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n Toronto Memory Program and RetiSpec (Canada)<\/b><\/p>\n This project implements the world\u2019s first screening model that leverages collaboration between optometry and a local Alzheimer Society chapter to enable accessible identification of individuals at risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease and\u00a0referral to a qualified clinician, facilitating a faster diagnosis.\u00a0<\/b>The two community-based entry points include: (1) optometry clinics, where individuals can receive a non-invasive RetiSpec retinal scan for early detection of Alzheimer\u2019s disease; and (2) the Alzheimer Society of Toronto, where individuals can undergo cognitive assessment.<\/p>\n Ludwig-Maximillans University (Germany)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Partners with two Universities, a health and social care charity, and three industry partners to conduct three screening types on seniors in Germany. This study will identify the best screening method by offering digital cognitive assessments, SCD questionnaire screening, and blood AD biomarkers testing to different groups. This study will also generate a patient registry to enroll patients in the global cohort and clinical trials workstreams, establish a fluid biobank, and train Artificial Intelligence diagnostic systems to better analyze speech patterns.<\/p>\n University of Havana (Cuba)<\/b><\/p>\n Provides a two-month training to primary care providers to integrate tablet based cognitive assessments Brain Health Assessment (BHA). The care provider will be assisted by informants, meaning a family-member or other person close to the patient, to help primary care providers determine if a dementia diagnosis is warranted.<\/p>\n Avant Institute (US – Multiple States)<\/b><\/p>\n This project implements Cognivue Clarity, a self-administered 10-minute cognitive performance screening tool, to increase access to digital cognitive screening assessments in 20-30 Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) pharmacy sites across rural, urban, and underserved communities throughout the United States. This project provides training and onboarding for pharmacies to use Cognivue to screen patients and evaluate the results to make further recommendations and referrals. Africa Mental Health Research and Training Foundation (Kenya)<\/b><\/p>\n This project redeploys existing volunteer staff in the Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries (STRiDE) project and trains community health workers to screen 2,400 people aged 60 and above. Workers are equipped with tablets to conduct the screening Instrument for Dementia (CSI-D) cognitive assessment and informant interview, word list recall task, and Euro-Dementia scale. Ultimately, results will inform health system policy and practices in Kenya.\u00a0 Alzheimer\u2019s Care Armenia (Armenia)<\/b><\/p>\n This cognitive screening education programs utilizes a van that has been outfitted as a\u00a0multidisciplinary\u00a0mobile clinic to offer educational programs and work with local clinical staff to screen for cognitive issues using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). The program provides citizens who test positive for cognitive decline with healthcare resources and offers workshops to caregivers on providing support.\u00a0<\/b> Advocate Aurora Health (US- Illinois)<\/b><\/p>\n This project aims to educate primary care providers on the importance of early cognitive screening and provide them with EPIC electronic health record-based digital testing tools to manage their patients efficiently. Clinicians get access to continuing education programming, eConsult support services, and participate in a monthly Project ECHO-type case conference to discuss topics on dementia. Kobe City Pharmaceutical Association (Japan)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n This project evaluates the value of pharmacy-based digital cognitive tests. It combines the cognitive test with a regular healthcare consultation to increase regular cognitive testing, the rate of early detection of cognitive decline, and timely and accurate diagnosis of dementia in local community-based healthcare system.<\/p>\n University of Washington (US- Washington)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n This project expands the pilot site success of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Kickstart, Assess, Evaluate and Refer (KAER Toolkit, 2020 Edition) into a fully operational\u00a0Cognition in Primary Care (CPC)\u00a0protocol\u00a0in seven new primary care clinics across the University of Washington. The CPC model includes provider education training and\u00a0incorporates two validated tests, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCa) and the Ascertain Dementia 8-Item Informant Questionnaire (AD8), and a structured Cognitive Checklist. This model checks for comorbidities of dementia and provides guidance on follow-up counseling and referrals to community resources.\u00a0 Demensia (Brunei)<\/b><\/p>\n This project will perform a pilot test of community screening and information in\u00a0Senior Citizen Activity Centers, followed by a focus group discussion to select an initial paper-based cognitive assessment.\u00a0The project will systematically involve communities at grassroots levels – senior citizen activity centres, engagement of village heads and community centres, targeting older people and those with dementia risk factors. Community links formed by the association are available for multisectoral support with this initiative.\u00a0Other project activities also include training of field workers regarding\u00a0community screening and cognitive assessment and training workshops for primary care (followed by relevant specialties).<\/p>\n American Academy of Physician Associates and Cleveland Clinic (US \u2013 Ohio)<\/b><\/p>\n Through partnership with The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the Physician Associate (PA) Foundation, and Cleveland Clinic, this project develops cognitive assessment toolkit for non-specialist medical practitioners to be trained in administering screenings, interpreting results, communicating those results and offering additional provider and patient resources. The pilot implementation will be followed by outcomes reporting and dissemination of the toolkit to the network of PA schools and all Cleveland Clinic locations.<\/p>\n Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) (US – Massachusetts)<\/b><\/p>\n This project uses a systems redesign approach, working with approximately eight teams across a range of settings on testing and measuring the results of intervention strategies that increase assessment rates. IHI will build and operate a learning community to encourage peer learning among participating teams, provide guidance, and teach scientific improvement methods to facilitate the teams\u2019 testing. Project outputs include a prototype set of interventions, implementation guidance, and an associated measurement set that will be ready to share and scale more widely.<\/p>\n $4.5 Million in Grant Funding Expands New Alzheimer\u2019s Early Detection and Healthcare System Preparedness Efforts GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, May 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) \u2014 The\u00a0Davos Alzheimer\u2019s Collaborative\u00a0(DAC),\u00a0the organization leading an unprecedented global response to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, today\u00a0announced the recipients of a grant program aiming for early detection of cognitive symptoms. The\u00a0early detection\u00a0grants total\u00a0$4.5 Million from 8 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[261],"tags":[165,166],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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\n<\/b><\/p>\nSusan Oliver\r\nDavos Alzheimer's Collaborative\r\n+17032164078\r\nsoliver@