Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

When older adults experience lapses or declines in their memory, they may feel embarrassed or distressed. Intervention programs such as the Memory and Aging Program often benefit such individuals by making them feel more normal about their memory and concentration changes. The Memory and Aging Program does this by providing information on memory changes associated with normal aging, and interactions with peers that have similar concerns. In addition to providing a sense of being within the normal range and belonging, this program also improves participants' knowledge on memory, feelings towards their memory, and memory performance. To increase the reach of this program and its associated benefits, an online version is currently being developed. Unfortunately, the inherit differences between online and in-person platforms may influence participants' normalization. To understand this further, I will examine the factors that influence and are affected by individual's sense of normalcy using a questionnaire I am currently developing. Specifically, I will examine whether different Memory and Aging Program platforms, interactions with peers, and program content influence participants' normalization, and whether normalization affects how individuals view their issues. It is anticipated that participants completing the in-person program will gain the greatest sense of feeling normal, followed by participants of the online program. Moreover, peer interactions and program content are anticipated to affect individuals' perceived normalcy, and ultimately influence how they feel about their memory. Findings from this study will provide insights on how seniors interact with online mediums, and whether individuals perceived normalcy impacts how they view their memory. Additionally, these findings will determine whether older adults experience the same benefits when receiving an intervention online, rather than in-person, which will help guide the development of future programs.