Page 30 - Healthcare News Jan/Feb 2023

MassAITC at UMass Amherst Funds First Seven Pilot Projects
AMHERST — The Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (MassAITC), housed at UMass Amherst, announced the distribution of $1.7 million to its first seven pilot projects. The goal of the funding is to spur innovation at the intersection of AI, technology, and aging.
MassAITC is a collaboration between the Commonwealth’s premier institutions of education and health, including UMass Amherst, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brandeis University, and Northeastern University, and is led by Deepak Ganesan and Ben- jamin Marlin, both professors in UMass Amherst’s Manning College of Informa- tion and Computer Sciences, and Niteesh Choudhry, executive director of the Center for Healthcare Delivery Sciences and professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Two UMass Amherst researchers in the university’s Institute for Applied Life Sci- ences, Michael Busa and Amanda Paluch, are among the pilot-project recipients. Busa directs the Center for Human Health and Performance; Paluch is a professor of
Kinesiology.
More than 90% of older Americans
would prefer to stay in their homes as they age. However, the prevalence of chronic illness, including Alzheimer’s disease, can make the goal of successful aging at home impossible without substantial support. MassAITC pilot projects will make great strides toward the goal of aging at home through interdisciplinary research that draws on the perspectives of patients, caregivers, clinicians, behavioral scientists, and other stakeholders. These perspectives inform the work of teams whose expertise lies in wearable and contactless sensing, artificial intelligence, and machine learn- ing.
The MassAITC pilot awards competi- tion is driven by a broad mandate to lever- age technology, including AI and machine learning, to address a range of challenges related to aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). According to Ganesan, “the pilots bring together an exceptional group of interdis- ciplinary investigators and also leverage outstanding capabilities for testing and validating these technologies and expertise
across the center, including state-of- the-art facilities and patient cohorts to facilitate validation of these technologies in real-world, at-home settings.”
Choudhry added that “we are particu- larly pleased that many of the awarded projects represent collaborations between the private sector and academia. The built- in engagement with a robust network of experts and resources is part of what sets the program apart.”
The selected Year 1 pilots are:
• Testing a vocal biomarker platform for remote detection and monitoring of cognitive impairment in the home envi- ronment (Sonde Health Inc.), Bradford Dickerson and Bonnie Wang (Massachu- setts General Hospital);
• Developing real-world digital biomarkers from wearable sensors in Alzheimer’s disease, Jen Blankenship (VivoSense Inc.), Michael Busa (UMass Amherst);
• Vascular aging using infrasonic he- modynography embedded into everyday earbuds, Anna Barnacka (MindMics Inc.);
• Detecting frailty in home environ- ments through non-invasive, whole-room
body-heat sensing in older adults, Amanda Paluch (UMass Amherst), Dae Hyun Kim (Hebrew SeniorLife), Rags Gupta (Butlr Technologies Inc.);
• Smartphone blood-pressure monitor- ing for healthy aging, Edward Wang and Alison Moore (University of California San Diego);
• Sensor-guided psychopharmacology in Alzheimer’s disease and related demen- tias, Ipsit Vahia and Rachel Sava (McLean Hospital); and
• Early acute illness detection in delirium and dementia, Jane Saczynski (Northeastern University), Edward Mar- cantonio (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center).
MassAITC is a member of the a2 Collective — a program funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health — that administers the annual a2 Pilot Awards for projects using AI and technology ap- proaches to benefit older adults, including individuals with AD/ADRD and their caregivers.
Congressman Neal Announces $513,000 Earmark for MHA
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal recently joined Mental Health Assoc. Inc. (MHA) President and CEO Cheryl Fasano to announce a $513,000 earmark to support MHA’s BestLife Center for Emotional Health and Wellness.
The allocation was made possible through congressionally directed spend- ing from the Department of Education. Neal included funding for this project in the FY 2023 spending bill that was signed into law on Dec. 29.
“For far too long, Americans have shied away from conversations about mental health, contributing to the stigma around mental illness, and consequently deterring
Suicide
Continued from page 15
“It’s about letting people know that there’s no such thing. It’s just people deal- ing with stressors or dealing with medical conditions that are based on mental health or behavioral health. And that what we’re here to do, to provide assistance, provide help,” he said. “All of us, at some point or another, could be dealing with some type of issue, and all of us could benefit from
patients from seeking care. Thanks to or- ganizations such as MHA, these conversa- tions have been brought to the forefront of our nation’s healthcare system,” Neal said. “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a staggering increase in reporting relative to symptoms of anxiety or depression. Thankfully, Western and Central Massachusetts is fortunate to have regional providers who are committed
to providing critical services to residents. The funding for MHA’s BestLife Center for Emotional Health and Wellness will ensure they have the resources needed to continue serving our communities.”
MHA’s plans for this funding include
these types of services. So it’s just making it something that’s more normal and general to everybody.”
One of the best ways to help a loved one in crisis is asking them if they’re all right. The professionals who spoke with HCN expressed that people may feel they will offend someone, or they’re scared of the answer, or feel like it might give someone the idea of suicide, but it just opens the conversation for that person to be vulner- able and honest. If a friend or loved one shows a worrisome change in behavior, one shouldn’t hesitate to ask and get help for
permitting the technological preparation and office outfitting for a larger, more ac- cessible new facility; expanding more im- mediate access to mental-health services; hiring new clinical staff and developing
a larger patient capacity; procuring ad- ditional equipment to enhance access to telehealth and reduce lengthy client wait- lists; and improving the electronic health record platforms.
“The Mental Health Association is deeply humbled for the incredibly gener- ous support of the Expanding Access
to Mental Health Services community project,” Fasano said. “Congressman Neal demonstrates, time and time again, his
that person if they’re willing to accept it. McKernan added that helping someone
look for moments of joy and using ground- ing techniques can also help them through the moment.
Mental-health healing is not linear, he and others stressed, and some days will be more difficult than others. Being educated on the warning signs and symptoms of suicide and suicidal ideation can help save the life of a loved one.
At the same time, no one who has lost someone to suicide should feel it’s their fault — even though avoiding guilt is easier
commitment to making the Pioneer Val- ley community thrive. This funding will support the BestLife Center for Emotional Health and Wellness, a licensed outpatient behavioral-health clinic that is an integral part of our operations, as well as allowing MHA to increase the capacity of our clini- cal operations while expanding services to address the critical need for mental-health services. MHA serves some of the most vulnerable members of our local com- munity. Receiving this support means we can serve more people, more efficiently, during their greatest times of need.”
said than done.
The bottom line is, untreated mental
illness can lead to suicide, and speaking up is the first step to getting help. “The brain
is like any other organ,” Beheshti said, “and we really need to honor it and respect it like any other organ.”
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or ideations, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for more infor- mation. v
30 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023