Health literacy and thinking skills in older adults and caregivers
Official title: LitCog V: Health Literacy and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-10979423 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This long-term project follows older adults and their caregivers to track how thinking skills and health literacy change and affect managing health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2007 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $3,782,845 |
| NIH project number | 2RF1AG030611-18 |
| Project ID | NIH-10979423 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults (especially those 55 and up) with one or more chronic conditions and their informal caregivers, typically living in or near the Chicago area.
✕Less likely to help
People under 55, those without chronic health needs, or anyone seeking an experimental treatment are unlikely to get direct medical benefit from this observational project.
What this research studies
Since 2007, researchers have followed a group of adults (initially ages 55–74) and their caregivers with detailed interviews every three years to measure thinking skills, health literacy, medication use, and daily functioning. Participants complete cognitive and health interviews, questionnaires about self-care and social factors, and some medical record checks. The team analyzes which psychological, social, and behavioral factors speed or slow declines and how those declines affect treatment adherence and independence. Findings are used to shape ways to support older adults and caregivers with education, tools, or care changes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to practical ways to help older adults and caregivers maintain safer self-care and independence.
How similar studies have gone: Previous phases of the LitCog cohort have already shown links between declining cognition, lower health literacy, and worse self-care, so this work builds on established findings.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wolf, Michael S — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Wolf, Michael S
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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.