Project Completion Date
Spring 3-16-2025
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Public Health
Community Partner
Department of Human Services: Area Agency on Aging
Abstract
- Objectives: In collaboration with the Department of Human Services (DHS): the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) using the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI), my capstone project will involve the development of a comprehensive literature review examining the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) on patients and their caregivers. The project aims to help the AAA focus on strategies to delay the onset of ADRD in Allegheny County. It also seeks to evaluate and enhance early detection programs for ADRD established by the AAA in communities within the county. Additionally, the project will explore how public health initiatives can increase access to care, educate the public about ADRD, and train healthcare providers to better support consumers and caregivers.
- Priority Population Served: In Allegheny County, the AAA’s initiative focuses on the BOLD Public Health grant, funded by the CDC. The study aims to address the multifaceted challenges that consumers who are susceptible to ADRD and their caregivers face.
- Methods: The project will consist of primary research conducted that will serve as a basis for the analysis. The primary research will be qualitative data from the departments that will be interviewed within the AAA. The qualitative data will be analyzed through a modified thematic analysis and compared to Deep Seek AI coding analysis. In addition, secondary research of the Behavioral Surveillance Survey System (BRFSS) data collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) will further support the claim. Using literature reviews, I will be able to provide a needs analysis containing the identification of effective public health strategies to determine primary and secondary interventions for ADRD that can be initiated by the AAA
- (Expected) Results: This project anticipates determining the gaps within the current care for the ADRD community within the AAA and supporting further programs for dementia patients and their caregivers. The project will provide public health strategies that will enable the ADRD provider community to increase early detection and diagnosis of dementia-related diseases, support dementia caregiving, and raise awareness within Allegheny County. These efforts will aid the public to explore earlier interventions and integrate them into their lives. In the future, AAA will aid the HBI and use the American Heart Association’s guidelines for cardiovascular disease as a model to establish public health interventions for the ADRD community.
- Public Health Implications: This project will utilize levels of prevention to establish a baseline need for the ADRD community, aiming to improve overall health outcomes and support for both patients and caregivers.
- Keywords: Formatting Guidelines: Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, ADRD, Cognitive Disfunction, Caregivers, Brain, Public Health, Initiative
Recommended Citation
Mirza, Laiba N., "Mobilizing Prevention and Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in Allegheny County through the Area Agency on Aging (AAA)" (2025). Public Health Capstone Projects. 1.
https://dsc.duq.edu/ph-capstones/1
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