How heat, wildfire smoke, and air pollution affect older adults with Alzheimer's
Susceptibility and adverse health outcomes related to weather-sensitive events among older Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer and Dementia
Finding out how heat, wildfire smoke, and other air pollution affect health in older adults living with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11456893 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has Alzheimer's or a related dementia, researchers will use Medicare health records from millions of older Americans to look for links between weather events and health problems. They will match those records to detailed, location-based measures of heat and air pollution built from satellites, monitors, and land-use data. Advanced machine learning and causal-analysis methods will be used to estimate exposures like wildfire smoke and separate their effects from other health and social factors. The team aims to identify which weather-related exposures lead to more hospital visits, worsening health, or other adverse outcomes for people with dementia.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People aged 65 or older in the United States with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who are enrolled in Medicare during the study period.
Not a fit: People younger than 65, those without an Alzheimer's or related dementia diagnosis, or those not covered by U.S. Medicare data are not included and would not directly benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help caregivers, clinicians, and public health officials know when to warn and protect people with Alzheimer's from dangerous heat or air pollution events.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller studies have linked air pollution and extreme heat to worse brain health and higher hospitalization risk, but applying nationwide Medicare data with satellite-based exposure estimates and modern causal methods is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bell, Michelle L — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Bell, Michelle L
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.