PROJECT SUMMARY AND ABSTRACT The goal of proposed project is to design, develop, and test a dynamic multimedia platform called the Collaborative for Aging Research and Engagement (CARE) Platform that is based our interdisciplinary partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter (AAGIC), the Indiana Alzheimer Disease Research Center (IADRC), and the IADRC’s Community Advisory Board (CAB). Our partnership is guided by the National Institute of Aging (NIA)’s National Strategy for Recruitment and Participation in Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Clinical Research1 and will facilitate active engagement of African Americans aged 45 years and older to participate in an Alzheimer Disease and related dementia (ADRD) statewide and national registries. The proposed research addresses 3 goals within 7 strategic priority areas within the NIA’s plan. Our approach focuses on principles of community based participatory research approach and the user centered design process to engage and educate African Americans aged 45 and older to participate in clinical Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) studies. As our community partner, the Alzheimer’s Association (AA) is equally committed to advancing research and improving recruitment to help researchers find a prevention strategy or disease modifying treatment for ADRD. Our primary focus is to engage healthy older adults and not people diagnosed with dementia as we need large numbers of healthy and younger adults to participate in research to meet the ambitious goal of finding a prevention or cure by 2025,2 thus the need for a registry of adults willing to participate in aging research in general. Additionally, this project will develop culturally relevant content to educate African Americans aged 45 and older about brain health and ADRD. Facilitated by collaborative networks through IADRC and AAGIC, the long term goal is to apply the evidence from the CARE Platform to serve as an exemplar for increasing brain health and ADRD health literacy and intention to enroll in ADRD clinical studies among African Americans at the regional and national level.

PROJECT NARRATIVE A dynamic multimedia platform, known as the Collaborative for Aging Research and Engagement (CARE) Platform, guided by community based participatory research approach and the user centered design process to engage and educate African Americans ages 45 and older to participate in clinical Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) studies. Outcomes focuses on increasing brain health and ADRD health literacy and intention to participate in clinical ADRD research studies. Next steps will be to use and leverage existing state Alzheimer’s Association networks to scale this work to a regional and national level and the long-term impact will be to increase breadth and depth of engagement in aging research such that research and findings can be more representative of underrepresented populations and thereby help reduce health disparities in ADRD.