COPPEhR: Connecting Older Positive People to Enhance Health and Resilience

The specific aim of this developmental project is to evaluate the feasibility, usefulness, and usability of a state-of-the art technology-based multicomponent intervention to reduce isolation and improve overall health of  adults aging with HIV. Dr. Sara Czaja, the Director of the Center on Aging and Behavioral Research, and Dr. Genie Siegler are the Co-PIs of the project. 

The program, Connecting Older Positive People to Enhance Health and Resilience (COPPEhR), will build on Dr. Sara Czaja’s PRISM (A Personal Reminder and Information Management System for Seniors) tablet platform, an easy-to-use software application designed to support social connectivity and access to resources. The study participants will be older long-term survivors at the Center for Special Studies (CSS) at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM).

The first phase of the study will employ focus groups and usability testing to determine content and functionality specific to the needs of older long-term survivors of HIV. The second phase of the study will be a pilot randomized controlled efficacy trial of the system.