Helping people with heart failure and mild thinking problems manage their care through mindfulness and body-awareness
Targeting cognitive function and interoceptive awareness to improve self-management in patients with co-morbid heart failure and cognitive impairment.
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Miriam Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11372024 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would learn mindfulness practices and exercises to improve attention and awareness of internal bodily signals that can signal worsening heart failure. Sessions combine attention training, relaxation techniques that support vagal (parasympathetic) control, and practical strategies to support daily self-care like taking medicines and monitoring symptoms. The team will track thinking skills, symptom awareness, self-care behaviors, and clinical outcomes such as hospital readmissions, and may collect biological markers related to heart and brain function. The program is delivered through Miriam Hospital with regular sessions and follow-up over several months.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with diagnosed heart failure who also have mild cognitive impairment, can provide informed consent, and can attend the Providence study site visits.
Not a fit: People without heart failure, without cognitive impairment, with severe dementia, or who cannot participate in required visits are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people with heart failure and mild cognitive problems notice worsening symptoms earlier, stick to treatments better, and reduce hospital readmissions.
How similar studies have performed: Small prior studies suggest mindfulness can improve attention and interoceptive awareness and may help cognitive function, but applying these methods specifically to people with both heart failure and mild cognitive impairment is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Miriam Hospital — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Salmoirago-Blotcher, Elena — Miriam Hospital
- Study coordinator: Salmoirago-Blotcher, Elena
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 below.