Long-term effects of a natural disaster on aging, cognition, and well-being in older adults
Official title: Long-term Effects of a Natural Disaster on Cognitive Aging, Dementia, Health and Well-being of Older Adults
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11301490 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2020 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $135,013 |
| NIH project number | 2R01AG065395-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11301490 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults who were affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and who contributed to the STAR cohort, with available long-term follow-up data.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without exposure to the disaster or without long-term follow-up data may have little relevance to this specific study question.
What this research studies
Researchers will use long-term data from a population-representative group, including pre-disaster baselines and 7 post-disaster follow-ups plus more than 20 years of follow-up, to examine how exposure to a major natural disaster affects cognition and related health in older adults. The study focuses on memory and executive function, as well as biological markers of stress and cardiometabolic risk, to trace how the impacts evolve over time. By leveraging existing data from the STAR study in Aceh and North Sumatra, the project aims to generate generalizable evidence about long-term cognitive outcomes after a disaster and the potential links to Alzheimer’s-related dementias. The findings could inform interventions and policies to support aging populations in disaster-prone regions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could guide strategies to protect cognitive health and overall well-being of older adults after disasters.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work with disaster cohorts has shown links between stress and cognitive health, but this project will provide long-term, population-level insights over more than two decades.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Frankenberg, Elizabeth a — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Frankenberg, Elizabeth a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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Effects of a natural disaster on the cognitive health of older adults
This study looks at how the stress from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami has affected the thinking, health, and happiness of older adults in Indonesia over the past 20 years, focusing on their personal experiences and how support from family and community helps them cope and recover.
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Health, Aging and Dementia in South Africa: A Longitudinal Study
A long-term study in South Africa follows adults 40 and older to understand how aging affects dementia and Alzheimer’s, using surveys, cognitive tests, and biomarkers.
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Health, Aging and Dementia in South Africa: A Longitudinal Study
A long-term study in South Africa follows adults as they age to understand how dementia and Alzheimer’s affect people in LMIC settings.
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Health, Aging and Dementia in South Africa: A Longitudinal Study
A long-term study in South Africa follows adults as they age to better understand dementia and related factors.
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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.
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.