Changing people's attitudes towards dementia is essential before it is too late to halt immense human costs and suffering. Attitudes are the disposition of people to respond either favorably or unfavorably to people with the disease; they are essential to understanding how people behave towards those affected.

This project will use a narrative short film to raise awareness about dementia in South African populations and contribute to dementia advocacy efforts. This film will be accessible to the community through national free-to-air channels in South Africa and around the continent.

Specific aims

1. Identify specific needs, challenges, risks, and enablers for activities of daily living (ADL) faced by users from rural areas of the south of Chile.

2. Create tailored and feasible (low cost and easy to apply) recommendations, including enablers, in an easy-to-understand language and format (adequate, accessible, and inclusive).

3. Identify and convey relevant stakeholders and key influencers in the area to review and promote recommendations.

4. Test and refine recommendations and transfer strategies (in an iterative and participatory process) to ensure that they are effective, feasible, and reach the target audience (people living with dementia, families from rural areas, and stakeholders).

There is a need to explore the effects of culturally-adapted dance interventions on brain health among underrepresented people with Parkinson’s in low-middle income countries to provide more evidence about its impact and feasibility. Thus, this pilot project will evaluate feasibility and explore the impact of an Amazonian Dance protocol on brain health in underrepresented people with Parkinson’s, comparing groups from two Brazilian regions: North Region, which is culturally identified with Amazonian dances, and South Region, which is not.

This feasibility study is developing and testing a smartphone app that synchronizes a user's walking pace with the rhythm of personalized music to enhance mobility in older adults. The app detects the user's walking speed and gait patterns using smartphone sensors, then selects and plays music with a matching tempo to encourage steady walking patterns. By integrating Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) principles, the app aims to make walking more engaging while potentially improving gait stability and symmetry. The feasibility study involves testing the app with older adults during supervised walking sessions to evaluate both its technical capabilities (like accurate pace detection and music synchronisation) and its effectiveness as a motivational tool to promote physical activity, ultimately addressing concerns around declining mobility and fall risks in aging populations.