What is this study about? Financial skills in ageing and cognitive impairment
Monday, August 31st, 2020
Financial skills in ageing and cognitive impairment
Researchers at Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney are looking for participants.
What are the main aims of the study?
The main aim of the study is to see how declines in cognition (due to ageing or dementia) affect a person’s ability to carry out everyday financial tasks, such as handling money, paying bills, budgeting and identifying financial scams.
What does it involve for a participant?
Participants will be invited to participate in an online cognitive assessment (using Zoom) that will last approximately 1.5 hours. During the assessment, you will be asked to complete tasks relating to everyday financial skills (e.g., reading bills, budgeting and decision-making) and cognition (e.g., attention, memory, verbal skills, visuospatial skills, planning/organisation and problem solving). You will be asked to respond to questions by speaking or selecting from options on the screen (i.e., similar to multiple-choice).
We will also ask someone who knows you well (e.g., spouse or family member) to answer some questions about you and how you are coping in your everyday life. These questionnaires will be emailed via a link so that they can be completed online. The questionnaires will take approximately 15-20mins to complete.
How long is the study for?
The study involves one meeting that lasts approximately 1.5 hours, plus online questionnaires to be completed by someone who knows you well. The study will continue until mid-2021.
What do you hope the outcomes of the study will be?
We hope to use the findings from this study to better understand how everyday financial skills are affected by ageing and dementia. This will help us develop new tests and interventions to identify and support loss of financial skills in older adults in Australia.
Where is the study based?
This study is currently being conducted online due to the current COVID-19 social distancing requirements. If restrictions are lifted over the upcoming months, in-person participation may resume. Our research office is located at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Mallett Street Campus.
Who can take part?
You may be eligible to participate in our study if:
- You are 50 years of age or older, and
- You have access to a computer or laptop with Internet access, webcam and microphone.
We are looking for people with mild-to-moderate dementia. However, you do not have to have a diagnosis of dementia to participate in the study.
What if I can’t participate online?
You can still sign up to this study if you are interested in participating, but do not have access to a computer or laptop with Internet access, webcam and microphone. We will keep you updated on the possibility of in-person participation at the Brain and Mind Centre.
