Advancing Ethical Goals in End-of-Life Care for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias
Official title: Advancing Ethical Goals In Society (AEGIS) - Ethics Core
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11265030 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A federal grant is funding an ethics-focused project to improve end-of-life care and shared decision making for older adults with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, especially in rural communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $410,124 |
| NIH project number | 1U19AG090271-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11265030 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their families, particularly in rural or underserved communities.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not facing end-of-life decisions or without ADRD may experience limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project centers on advancing advance care planning and shared decision making for people with ADRD. It uses a large pragmatic framework to explore how decision support tools influence goal-concordant care in diverse populations. The Ethics Core will work with investigators to address ethical challenges and conduct embedded sub-studies about ACP in real-world settings. The study will gather rich data over several years to understand how ethics considerations shape care at the end of life for older adults. Conducted at Tufts Medical Center under the leadership of Dr. Jon C. Tilburt, the project emphasizes patient-centered outcomes and equity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could make end-of-life care more aligned with patient goals and culturally appropriate for rural ADRD populations.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows mixed success of ACP tools; this project builds on existing work and adds a strong ethical and rural-community focus.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tilburt, Jon C — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Tilburt, Jon C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.