Exploring daily experiences of couples dealing with early-stage dementia and their impact on sleep and well-being.
Official title: Daily Experiences Among Couples Living With Early-Stage Dementia: Implications for Daily Sleep and Long-Term Well-Being and Cognitive Function
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-10836578 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how daily stress and happy moments impact sleep and well-being in couples where one person has early-stage dementia, and it’s designed for couples aged 60 and older to help improve care for both partners.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $756,410 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG082025-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10836578 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are married or cohabiting couples aged 60 and older, where one partner is living with early-stage dementia.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not in a relationship or whose partners do not have early-stage dementia may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how daily stress and positive experiences affect sleep and overall well-being in couples where one partner has early-stage dementia. The study involves 150 couples aged 60 and older, using phone interviews, cognitive assessments, and daily smartphone surveys to gather data over a week. By tracking sleep patterns and emotional experiences, the research aims to understand the interplay between the partners' health and well-being. This approach seeks to provide insights into improving care strategies for both individuals in the relationship.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved interventions that enhance sleep quality and overall well-being for couples affected by early-stage dementia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that understanding the dynamics of caregiving relationships can lead to significant improvements in health outcomes, suggesting that this approach may yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Polenick, Courtney a. — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Polenick, Courtney a.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Daily life and sleep in couples living with early-stage dementia
This project looks at how daily stress and good moments affect sleep, mood, and memory in couples where one partner has early-stage dementia.
-
Long-term Effects of a Natural Disaster on Cognitive Aging and Dementia in Older Adults
This project follows older adults affected by a major natural disaster to understand how long-term stress may influence aging, memory, and risk for dementia.
-
Activities4Care: a digital assistive platform to boost well-being for people with dementia and their caregivers
A new digital platform will provide personalized, meaningful activities for people living with dementia to improve mood, behavior, and quality of life, with guidance for caregivers.
-
Cognitive Function and Dementia in South Africa: A Longitudinal Study
A long-term study in South Africa aims to understand how dementia develops and affects people as they age, using harmonized surveys and biomarkers so findings can help people in similar settings.
-
Personalized diets based on gut microbes to help prevent Alzheimer's
Seeing if tailoring healthy diets to a person's gut microbes can help protect thinking and memory in older adults at risk for Alzheimer's.
-
Long-term effects of a natural disaster on aging, cognition, and well-being in older adults
This project follows older adults affected by a large tsunami to understand how disaster stress might influence memory, thinking skills, health, and well-being many years later.
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.