Palliative care at home for people with dementia
Palliative Care at Home for Patients with Dementia
A team-based home palliative care program using community health workers, nurses, and social workers to support older adults with advanced dementia and their family caregivers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11176362 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, you may be randomly assigned to a home-based palliative care team or to usual care, and study staff will follow outcomes over time. The care team centers on specially trained community health workers, social workers, and registered nurses who are supported by a palliative care nurse practitioner and physician. The trial runs across four hospitals and is single-blinded, and the program focuses on symptom control, daily activities, and support for family caregivers. The model is designed to be more scalable than specialist-only palliative teams by using community-based caregivers alongside clinicians.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults with advanced Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias who live at home and have a family caregiver willing to participate.
Not a fit: People in early-stage dementia, those living in nursing homes or other institutions, or those without an engaged caregiver may not benefit from this home-focused program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This approach could improve symptom control, daily functioning, and reduce caregiver stress for people with advanced dementia if successful.
How similar studies have performed: Home palliative care has helped people with serious illnesses in prior studies, but few randomized trials have tested a community-health-worker-led model specifically for advanced dementia.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Morrison, R. Sean — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Morrison, R. Sean
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.