About us
Who are we?
Dementia is a global health crisis, currently affecting over 50 million individuals worldwide, with numbers projected to soar to 130 million by 2050. This progressive cognitive decline not only burdens those diagnosed but also their families and healthcare systems, resulting in significant economic and emotional costs.
The IMPACT project aims to address these challenges by using dementia as a tracer condition to strengthen health systems in Latin America. By developing a mobile health app for community health workers, IMPACT enhances early diagnosis and management of dementia and its co-morbidities. The project includes comprehensive training for health professionals and community engagement to raise awareness about dementia. Through research and innovative care models, IMPACT seeks to improve the quality of life for people with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers.
By prioritizing dementia care, IMPACT contributes to building sustainable, integrated health systems that can better support affected individuals and their families in Peru and beyond.
Project structure
We are an interdisciplinary team includes researchers, policymakers and community representatives working together across 5 interrelated work packages (WPs).
WP1
Health System Readiness to respond to the needs of PWD and their carers.
WP2
mHealth app for CHWs to find cases of dementia and record co-morbidities.
WP3
Adaptation of mHealth intervention: Health care navigators.
WP4
Economic burden and impact on quality of life of dementia and co-morbidities.
WP5
Project management activities, Community engagement and disemination.
Meet our team
Meet our team of multidisciplinary professionals
Christopher Butler
Sofia Cuba
Jaime Miranda
Our background
Health systems in LMICs are poorly equipped to care for chronic mental and physical disease, which are rapidly increasing with aging populations. Cognitive impairment challenges health systems on multiple fronts, incurring huge human and financial costs. Latin America has the highest projected increase in dementia incidence globally, and in Peru there are ~300,000 people with dementia (PWD).
Many are undiagnosed and lack basic support. Care is often provided exclusively by family members. IMPACT Dementia, a new 4-year, ~$5M project funded by the Global Health programme of the UK NIHR, which will tackle inequity in access to dementia care and diagnosis in Peru and beyond using sustainable, integrated, person-centred, community-delivered, technology-enabled innovation.
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