Creating a tool to help older cancer patients access palliative care.
Official title: Development and Initial Validation of a Palliative Care Readiness Tool for Older Adults with Cancer.
Funded at University of North Carolina Charlotte · NIH-10795491 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is creating a helpful tool for older adults with cancer to see how ready they are to use palliative care services, which can really enhance their quality of life, and it aims to make sure this tool works well for them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R15 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of North Carolina Charlotte NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlotte, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $475,748 |
| NIH project number | 1R15AG081886-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-10795491 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are older adults diagnosed with cancer who may benefit from palliative care services.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are younger than 21 or those without a cancer diagnosis may not receive any benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a tool called the Palliative Care Readiness tool (PALCARE) specifically for older adults with cancer. The goal is to measure how ready these patients are to engage with palliative care services, which can significantly improve their quality of life. By understanding their readiness, the research aims to increase awareness and utilization of palliative care among this demographic, addressing barriers such as misconceptions and lack of knowledge. The study will validate the tool's effectiveness through various assessments to ensure it meets the needs of older cancer patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved access to palliative care for older adults with cancer, enhancing their quality of life and symptom management.
How similar studies have gone: While there is limited research specifically on tools for measuring palliative care readiness in older adults with cancer, similar approaches in other populations have shown promise in improving care access.
Where this research is happening
-
University of North Carolina Charlotte
Charlotte, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parajuli, Jyotsana — University of North Carolina Charlotte
- Study coordinator: Parajuli, Jyotsana
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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UNCOVER-PC: Helping people with advanced cancer and their families get better palliative care
A project at Emory aims to find the best ways to give palliative care early to people with advanced cancer and to understand how it helps patients and their caregivers.
-
Digitally supported community workers helping HPB cancer patients receive early palliative care
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-
ICUconnect 2: helping older ICU patients and families get better palliative care
A multi-site study will test a mobile app that helps ICU teams deliver personalized palliative care to older adults and support families.
-
Caring for Older African Americans: Training Clinicians to Provide Quality End-of-Life Care
This grant aims to adapt and deliver a training program for clinicians so they can better understand and meet end-of-life care needs of older African American adults in both the South and North.
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Support-T: a mobile tool to help people with progressive pulmonary fibrosis and their caregivers get palliative care and planning
A mobile app called SUPPORT-T helps people with progressive pulmonary fibrosis and their caregivers access palliative care and plan for the future.
-
Palliative care support for patients getting CAR T therapy for blood cancers
A clinician-led program designed to improve quality of life and ease the burden on patients and caregivers during and after CAR T cell therapy for blood cancers.
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.