The aim of my interdisciplinary research program is to better understand cognitive aging and to track factors that influence cognitive decline in older adults. My research focuses on four main areas: (1) cognitive aging, (2) motor control, (3) neuroimaging, and (4) stigma. One of the strengths of my program is that I explore older adults “in action”, i.e., while walking and talking, and while talking and climbing stairs (dual tasking). Thanks to portable technology, I can measure and quantify motor and cognitive performance, along with changes in brain activity, as older adults perform everyday activities (areas 1-3). A newer branch of my research relies on citizen science, using an m-health approach, by calling upon older adults directly to make stairs safer in order to prevent falls. These “citizens” are people in the community who identify stair hazards with the Safer Steps app.
In addition, I have learned from working with older adults that how they perceive themselves can strongly influence both how they perform and their help-seeking behaviours. If cognitive decline is perceived as “normal” and expected with age, why do anything about it? My fourth research area explores these perceptions by using qualitative methods to examine stigma and ageism.
These quantitative and qualitative approaches are complementary and contribute to the primary aim of my research, which is to understand cognitive aging.