Primary care checks and caregiver support to prevent neglect in people with dementia
Official title: Primary Care Screening and Intervention for Elder Neglect in Patients with Dementia: An Evidence-Based Approach
Funded at Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11178570 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,586,496 |
| NIH project number | 5R33AG079012-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178570 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who see a primary care clinician and have a family or paid caregiver willing to participate.
✕Less likely to help
People who live in long-term care facilities, have no available caregiver, or cannot attend participating primary care clinics are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
You would get a brief screening during a routine primary care visit designed to spot signs of elder neglect specifically in people with Alzheimer's or related dementias. If your clinic is in the trial arm, your caregiver may be offered a point-of-care, technology-driven program focused on education, skill-building, and connecting to resources to reduce neglect. The research compares three groups—usual care, screening alone, and screening plus the caregiver intervention—to see which approach best reduces neglect and related harm. The team adapted an earlier successful caregiver tech intervention and will run the randomized trial at participating primary care sites.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help detect neglect sooner and give caregivers practical support that improves safety and health for people with dementia.
How similar studies have gone: Related caregiver technology programs by this research team have shown promise, but using a brief primary-care screen focused on neglect and testing it in a three-arm randomized trial is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rosen, Anthony — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Rosen, Anthony
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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Nurse practitioner care for older adults living with dementia
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.
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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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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.