Long-term Effects of a Natural Disaster on Cognitive Aging and Dementia 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-11541242 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
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) | $398,147 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG065395-06S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11541242 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults who were exposed to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and are part of the STAR data framework or similar longitudinal cohorts.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without disaster exposure or outside the study cohorts may not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
The study uses data from a long-running cohort to track health, thinking skills, and well-being in older adults more than 20 years after a large tsunami. It combines pre-disaster information with multiple follow-ups to identify how exposure to disaster-related stress relates to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s risk. Researchers will use innovative memory and executive function tasks, plus health markers, to map trajectories over time. The goal is to generate generalizable evidence that can guide prevention and care for aging populations after disasters.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could inform interventions to protect cognition and overall health in older adults after disasters.
How similar studies have gone: Prior long-term observational studies have shown links between stress and cognitive aging, supporting the relevance of this approach.
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 aging, cognition, and well-being in older adults
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.
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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
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Health, Aging and Dementia in South Africa: A Longitudinal Study
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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.