Decision tool to help veterans with dementia and caregivers in the emergency room
Official title: A Shared Decision-Making Tool to Support Emergency Department Dispositions for Veterans with Dementia
Funded at Durham VA Medical Center · NIH-11220434 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Creates a short conversation aid to help veterans living with dementia, their caregivers, and ER clinicians decide whether to admit a patient or go home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Durham VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2023 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2HX003673-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11220434 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are veterans aged 65 or older with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia who come to the Durham VA emergency department and face an unclear decision about hospital admission, with a caregiver available to join the conversation.
✕Less likely to help
People with an obvious need for immediate hospital care, non-veterans, or patients without any available caregiver to participate may not benefit from this tool.
What this research studies
This project will build a simple tool used in the emergency room to guide conversations about whether a person with dementia should be admitted or discharged. Researchers will co-design the tool with veterans, caregivers, and ED staff and then try it during real ED visits at the Durham VA. They will track decisions made, return visits or hospitalizations, and how families and clinicians experience the process. The aim is to make disposition choices safer and more in line with patient and family wishes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce unnecessary hospital stays, lower risks like delirium, and make care choices better match patient and caregiver preferences.
How similar studies have gone: Shared decision-making tools have improved communication and decision quality in other emergency settings, but applying this approach specifically to ED admission decisions for veterans with dementia is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Durham VA Medical Center
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seidenfeld, Justine — Durham VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Seidenfeld, Justine
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Shared decision tool to help veterans with dementia and caregivers choose ED care and discharge
This project builds a simple tool to help veterans living with dementia and their families make emergency department care and discharge decisions together.
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Antisocial behaviors in frontotemporal dementia: aggression versus rule‑breaking
This project looks at different kinds of antisocial behaviors—like aggression or rule‑breaking—in people with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and how those behaviors relate to brain changes.
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Creating a tool to help older adults with dementia make care decisions
This study is all about helping older adults with Alzheimer's and related conditions make better choices when moving from home care to long-term care facilities by talking to them and their caregivers to understand what they want and need.
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Understanding antisocial behavior in frontotemporal dementia
This study is looking at the challenging behaviors, like aggression and breaking rules, that can happen in people with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and it aims to better understand how these behaviors are connected to changes in the brain.
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A tool to help veterans with dementia make decisions about emergency care.
This study is creating a helpful tool for veterans aged 65 and older with dementia to make better decisions during emergency room visits, so they, their caregivers, and doctors can talk about whether it's best to stay in the hospital or go home, all while keeping their needs and wishes in mind.
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Creating a care decision-making program for African American families dealing with dementia
This study is creating a special program to help African American families, especially adult daughters caring for parents with Alzheimer's, make better decisions about care, so they can feel more supported and improve their loved ones' quality of life.
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.