Nurse practitioner care for older adults living with dementia
Official title: Impact of Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Models on Health Disparities among Persons Living With Dementia
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11362905 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether different nurse practitioner primary care approaches help people 65 and older living with dementia—especially those in low-income, rural, or racial and ethnic minority groups—get more coordinated care and fewer emergency or hospital visits.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $452,375 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AG095668-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362905 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are U.S. residents aged 65 or older living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias who receive Medicare-covered primary care, especially those in low-income, rural, or minority communities.
✕Less likely to help
People under 65, those not covered by U.S. Medicare, or those whose care does not involve nurse practitioners are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will use national Medicare insurance records and new billing methods to find when nurse practitioners act as main or supporting primary care providers for people like you living with dementia. They will correct for billing practices that can hide nurse practitioner care and apply an algorithm to identify primary care providers in claims data. The team will compare emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and access measures across different nurse practitioner care models and across income, rural/urban, and racial/ethnic groups. The project is led from Columbia University and uses U.S. Medicare data during the project period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show how nurse practitioner primary care reduces unnecessary emergency and hospital visits and improves access to coordinated, patient-centered care for older adults with dementia, particularly in underserved communities.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies suggest nurse practitioner primary care can improve access and quality for older adults, but using new claims-based methods to identify NP primary care for people with dementia is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'reilly-Jacob, Monica Katharine — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: O'reilly-Jacob, Monica Katharine
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Using health records and AI to improve dementia screening in primary care
A patient-friendly program uses existing medical records and smart computer tools to help doctors screen for memory problems earlier, especially for people aged 65 and up.
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Advancing Dementia Diagnosis in Primary Care
A project to help primary care doctors better identify the cause of cognitive problems like dementia earlier using a comprehensive toolkit.
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Strengthening primary care to improve dementia diagnosis
Aimed at helping primary care teams diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias earlier and more equitably, especially in diverse and underserved communities.
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Primary care checks and caregiver support to prevent neglect in people with dementia
This project will try a quick primary-care screening and a technology-based caregiver support program to help prevent neglect for people living with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
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Improving how primary care doctors diagnose dementia
This study is working to help doctors in primary care better diagnose Alzheimer's and related dementias by creating a helpful toolkit that makes it easier for them to spot the signs early, especially for patients showing changes in thinking or behavior.
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Screening and intervention for elder neglect in dementia patients
This study is working on a new way to spot neglect in older adults with Alzheimer's and related conditions, and it will also create helpful tools for caregivers to prevent this neglect, all while comparing these new methods to regular care to see how well they work.
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.