Emergency departments improving Alzheimer's and dementia care
Official title: ED-LEAD: Emergency Departments LEading the transformation of Alzheimer's and Dementia care
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11179222 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project brings new emergency-department programs to people living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias and their caregivers to improve care after emergency visits.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $16,848,854 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AG078105-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11179222 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who visit one of the participating emergency departments and their care partners.
✕Less likely to help
People without dementia or those who do not receive care at a participating emergency department are unlikely to directly benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If I or my loved one with dementia goes to the emergency department, this program aims to turn that visit into a chance to address unmet needs and plan better care. The team is embedding their approach across many health systems and about 80 emergency departments, using things like digital alerts, redesigned ED workflows, nurse-led phone follow-up, and community paramedic coaching. Those components build on prior work that helped more people complete advance care plans, connect to hospice, and cut return visits. The project focuses on real-world ED settings so changes can be used widely if they work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reduce repeat emergency visits, increase advance care planning, and better connect people with dementia to supportive services.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier trials by this team showed increased advance care planning and a community paramedic program that reduced 30-day ED revisits by about 75%.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chodosh, Joshua — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Chodosh, Joshua
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Investigating how DNA damage and repair mechanisms are altered in ALS and frontotemporal dementia.
This study is looking at how problems with DNA repair might contribute to conditions like ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and it’s testing ways to fix these issues in cells from patients to help develop new treatments.
-
Synthetic protein mimetics to treat Lewy Body Dementia
A new therapeutic approach using engineered protein-like molecules to block the harmful protein clumps that cause Lewy Body Dementia.
-
Dementia care staff study: adapting a US survey for use in many countries
A study is adapting and testing a survey for dementia care workers in the US, Brazil, Switzerland, and Ghana to help understand why workers stay in their jobs and how to improve care.
-
Dementia care staff study: adapting a survey for use in many countries
A multinational study will adapt and test a U.S. dementia-care worker survey in Brazil, Switzerland, and Ghana to help understand why staff stay in or leave long-term care settings.
-
Study of Dementia Care Staff in 4 Countries: Adapting Caregiver Surveys Across Cultures
A multinational project will adapt and test a dementia care worker survey so researchers can compare care environments across the US, Brazil, Switzerland, and Ghana.
-
New biomarkers to distinguish LATE from Alzheimer’s disease in dementia
A study to develop blood and CSF tests that can tell apart LATE from Alzheimer’s disease in people with dementia.
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.