We have been contacted by Project Talent concerning their new study on aging populations and cognitive change.  It's been 58 years since our 11th grade particpation in the original study. The Project Talent reseachers want to add this new phase of our lives to the database for study.  CLICK HERE to read more about PROJECT TALENT, and feel free to contact them to participate.

 

Classmates . . .

Greetings from Project Talent–we are delighted to be in touch! As you know, you and your classmates from Mumford High School took part in this landmark longitudinal study back in 1960. You signed up on our Project Talent website some time ago and indicated your interest in being involved in the study. I am writing to you now to ask for your assistance.

Project Talent is currently conducting its latest follow-up study, which will include students from the classes of 1960-1963 from Mumford High School. Those selected to take part should have received their questionnaires by mail.  The success of this study depends on you and your classmates. While you may or may not have been randomly selected to take part in the new follow-up, we would like to ask for your assistance in ensuring your classmates and the community in which you grew up are well-represented in the study.

 

What’s it all about?

People in the United States are living longer than ever, thanks to advances in medical research and improved standards of living. However, our aging population means that the burden of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive diseases continues to grow. Today, 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, that number could reach 16 million–and the financial cost of caring for suffered will balloon to $1 trillion per year.

The need for high quality and reliable information on our aging population is becoming more critical, and your continued participation in Project Talent is more important than ever.  The newest Project Talent follow-up study will collect information on how memory and other thinking activities changes with age, and will be combined with all the data that you have provided since entering the study in 1960. This will give researchers a unique and extremely valuable opportunity to understand the many factors that determine why some people develop dementia while others do not.  Our research can lead to evidence-based policies that ensure people are living not just longer but better lives.

If you are in touch with your high school classmates from the classes of 1960-1963, or live in the area where you went to school, we are asking for your help in spreading the word about the new Project Talent study and reminding your classmates to respond to the questionnaire. You can do this in the following ways:

• Send an email to classmates you are in touch with (or forward this one), and remind them to respond to their Project Talent questionnaire;
•  Are you a member of your school’s alumni organization? Ask them to notify members from the classes of 1960-1963 about the new Project Talent study;
• Spread information about your school’s participation in Project Talent and the new follow-up through community networks like churches, community groups, and local government outlets such as newsletters or social media channels;
• Follow Project Talent on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/projecttalent1960/) and invite your classmates to do the same.

Your participation is keeping Project Talent at the forefront of understanding some of the most important aging-related health conditions, and in improving the lives of older adults and their families. We appreciate your efforts to continue this wonderful project! Please let me know if you have questions or would like additional information.

For updates on the Project Talent Aging Study, visit www.projecttalent.org. Please don’t hesitate to contact Sabine Horner with any questions.