Helping caregivers of adults at home with heart failure and cognitive impairment manage stress and self-care
Official title: Improving Self-Care of Caregivers of Adults in Homecare with Heart Failure and Cognitive Impairment
Funded at Visiting Nurse Service of New York · NIH-11416525 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant tests a virtual coaching program designed to support caregivers of adults with heart failure and cognitive impairment to improve their own well-being and caregiving skills.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Visiting Nurse Service of New York NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $686,032 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG094822-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416525 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are unpaid or family caregivers of adults with heart failure and documented cognitive impairment who are receiving home health care.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without a caregiver or with no home health care involvement may not experience direct benefit from this program.
What this research studies
Caregivers of people living at home with heart failure and cognitive impairment often experience high stress, anxiety, and depression. The project builds on a proven 10-session virtual coaching program, ViCCY, to expand to a broader and more underserved group. It will enroll about 254 caregiver participants and at least 60 patients to assess how well the program reduces caregiver stress and improves self-care in a real-world home health setting. The study uses remote coaching delivered through digital platforms to reach diverse populations who may have limited access to in-person support. If successful, the approach could become a scalable way to support families managing complex home-based care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Caregivers may experience less stress and better self-care, which can improve both their health and the quality of care they provide.
How similar studies have gone: A prior Stage II trial (ViCCY) showed improvements in caregiver self-care and reduced stress among a primarily white, higher-resource population.
Where this research is happening
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Visiting Nurse Service of New York
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Riegel, Barbara J — Visiting Nurse Service of New York
- Study coordinator: Riegel, Barbara J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Helping people with heart failure and mild thinking problems manage their care through mindfulness and body-awareness
This project teaches mindfulness and attention skills to help people with heart failure and mild thinking problems notice symptoms and follow medicines and lifestyle advice more reliably.
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Sustaining at-Home Heart Failure Care for Older Adults in Rural Appalachia
A team at West Virginia University is testing a nurse-led program to support older adults with heart failure and their families at home in rural Appalachia to reduce hospital visits and improve comfort.
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Heart failure caregiver support program HEROIC for advanced disease
A caregiver-focused program of 5 nurse-led sessions over 10 weeks delivered by video to help families manage advanced heart failure and its challenges.
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Supporting Home Palliative Care for Heart Failure Patients and Their Families in Rural Appalachia
This project is testing a new way to provide comforting care at home for older adults with heart failure and their family caregivers in rural Appalachian communities.
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Virtual Reality and Computer Games for Memory Issues in Heart Failure
This project explores if virtual reality and computer games can help older adults with heart failure who are also experiencing memory problems.
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Helping older adults with mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers engage in meaningful daily activities
This study is testing a program called 'Daily Engagement in Meaningful Activity' (DEMA) to help older adults with mild cognitive impairment and their family caregivers feel happier and less anxious by encouraging them to participate in activities they enjoy together.
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.