Expanding a network to improve emergency care for older adults and people with dementia
Official title: Growing the Geriatric Emergency care Applied Research (GEAR 1.1) network: Expanding and sustaining an emergency care aging study infrastructure.
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11177776 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds a linked network of hospitals and shared data to improve emergency department care for older adults and people living with dementia.
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 | August 15, 2018 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $697,663 |
| NIH project number | 5R33AG058926-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177776 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults and people living with dementia who receive care in emergency departments at participating hospitals.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not use emergency departments, are treated at hospitals not in the GEAR network, or have conditions unrelated to aging or dementia may not see direct benefits.
What this research studies
If you are an older adult or living with dementia and visit the emergency department, this project connects geriatric ED programs across hospitals to find and share better ways to care for you. The team is expanding a research network from a few health systems to many more and creating a multicenter database of ED visits and outcomes. Participating hospitals will standardize how they collect information, support pilot studies, and try coordinated care processes across sites. The goal is to speed up adoption of dementia-aware ED practices so more patients receive consistent, improved care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to more consistent, dementia-aware emergency care and faster spread of practices that reduce complications for older patients.
How similar studies have gone: Several geriatric ED programs and smaller pilot studies exist, but a coordinated multicenter network of this size is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hwang, Ula Y — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Hwang, Ula Y
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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.