It has taken me three years to complete one study and a mere two years to finish the other, but I believe I have contributed to the scientific understanding of reseasrchers for possible heart ailments and changes in thinking and memory for adults.

The Heartline study by Johnson & Johnson, in collaboration with Apple, explored how everyday technology, like the iPhone and Apple Watch, could help with earlier detection of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in people age 65 and older like me.

I gained valuable insights into heart health from the comfort of home in just 5-30 minutes each week. I took part in easy and fun activities and earned rewards worth $199.40.

It was a lot of fun and both studies provided me with the incentive to count my walking steps each and everyday to earn points toward the suggested goals. I have walked more than 10,000 steps every single day except for the several weeks when I was hospitalized and recuperating from aneurism surgery in May of 2023. (Walking some 4,000 steps a day decreases by 50 percent your chances of getting alzheimers desease as as well as demetia, according to reliable sources.)

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Intuition is a virtual research study sponsored by Biogen, in collaboration with Apple, for participants between the ages of 21 and 86. I helped researchers investigate the role an Apple Watch and iPhone could play in measuring changes in thinking and memory in adults and studying longer-term changes in brain health – some of which may occur normally as we age, while others could be an early indicator of certain forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

I earned a free Apple Watch valued at more than $250, plus an additional $229.90 in gift cards from Intuition. Yes, a free watch plus a little cash for my efforts to improve my own well-being and aid studies that could help others. I feel good about my efforts and highly recommend the project to anyone who might be interested.