Olera, Inc., a startup created by Texas A&M University students, recently received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Aging (NIA) for a total of 2.3 million dollars over three years. The award will support the development and evaluation of an innovative digital platform that provides personalized support and resources for caregivers of people with dementia.
Olera will partner with the Texas A&M University Center for Population Health and Aging, which will serve as the award’s primary subcontractor and support efforts for academic validation of the development assistance platform. This collaboration will allow the center to explore new technological strategies for providing healthcare professionals with tailored resources.
“In recognition of the increase in the number of people with dementia in the coming decades and the growing demand for easily accessible and personalized information for financial and legal planning, in particular, Olera’s overall goal is to develop a support service customized for healthcare professionals, in the form of an accessible mobile phone application and website, for family caregivers to improve access to those resources, “said Logan DuBose, chief operating officer and project researcher at Olera, Inc ..
DuBose is currently a medical student at Texas A&M College of Medicine and a graduate of the masters program in business administration at Texas A&M Mays Business School.
The study will support the team’s efforts in a two-step approach. In phase 1, the team will develop the platform based on a new dementia care personalization algorithm and conduct an initial feasibility assessment. Phase 2 will focus on assessing the acceptance of the Olera digital platform and verifying the generalizability between three different minority / ethnic populations in Texas.
The Center for Population Health and Aging’s efforts are led by principal investigator Marcia G. Ory, regent and distinguished professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M University School of Public Health and the center’s primary affiliate faculty. Ory served as a mentor for DuBose in his student role and enjoyed the idea of bringing an innovative idea to scale.
Following on from a previous National Science Foundation award that examined the perceptions of interacting caregivers in the aged care industry, the Center for Population Health and Aging will add substantial expertise on caregiving and dementia. Texas A&M researchers will provide support in both phase 1 and phase 2 of SBIR through important tasks, including research guidance and support, assistance with the recruitment of healthcare professionals, advice on customizing the digital platform for a diverse audience and drafting, publishing and disclosure of reports.
Ory welcomes the opportunity to partner with Olera, Inc. to examine what caregivers of people with dementia need and want to provide quality care to their loved ones.
“With so much information out there, it’s often overwhelming for family caregivers, especially when it comes to financial or legal matters,” Ory said. “Having a personalized app can help healthcare professionals answer their specific questions and concerns, hopefully reducing stress for healthcare professionals and fostering better communication with their family members.”