….. on aged individuals displaying the initial symptoms of dementia. This research will be conducted on the premise that participating in cognition-related activities impacts cognitive impairment inception and occurrence (Connor & Shaw, 2016; Lampit et al., 2014). Further, participating in such cognitive pursuits (even those linked to digital games) can probably aid aged persons without dementia in improving or at least maintaining their cognitive abilities. Hence, this research attempts to determine the likely advantages brain training has in deferring or suppressing clinical dementia onset in aged persons. The hypothesis that will be tested in this study is as follows:
Hypothesis: Brain training games improves the cognitive abilities of aged individuals with initial symptoms of dementia.
This research project would contribute to how to manage dementia, which is a serious mental illness with significant impacts on brain functions like language, memory, and visuospatial operations. If proven successful, the project will play a critical role in stopping dementia through the use of to improve the cognitive abilities of patients with the condition.
The research project will involve several stakeholders given its probability to help stop dementia among aged individuals if successful. The involvement of the various stakeholders is attributable to the fact that the identification of a suitable management technique for a mental health disorder. In this regard, this project requires the participation of several researchers i.e. principle investigators and research assistances, data analysts, consultants, , and lab technicians. In addition, several materials and equipment will be utilized to conduct the study in order to achieve the objectives of the project.
Budget Justification
The budget is designed in a manner that covers both the direct and indirect costs of conducting this research. Generally, conducting a research project of this magnitude requires incurring direct and indirect costs because of the complexities involved. Some of the direct costs that will be incurred in conducting this research include salaries and wages, administrative and clerical support, and consumable supplies and materials. On the other hand, indirect costs include facilities and administrative costs that are not readily allocated to a specific component of the project’s execution.
For this budget, the indirect costs represent 10% of the total direct costs of conducting the research. This is primarily because indirect costs need to represent a fraction of the total direct costs of a research project (University of Michigan, n.d.). The researcher has estimated that 10% of the direct costs of the research would be suitable to cover the indirect costs like facilities and administrative support provided by the university when conducting this research.
The estimated salaries and wages of the principal researcher, co-researcher, research assistants, consultants, interviewers, study/clinical coordinators, data managers/analysts, and lab technicians was determined through dividing their average annual salaries by 12 months. This was followed by examining the time period they will be involved in the study i.e. 2 months to obtain the . Moreover, these salaries and wages were estimated on the premise that some of these personnel will only be involved in the research project relatively half the time. The costs of equipment, materials and supplies, travel, and services was determined through examining the current market costs of these items. The other costs represent any additional costs that could be utilized in conducting the research such as stipends to research participants and any unforeseen expenses.
