Primary care checks and caregiver support to prevent neglect in people with dementia

Primary Care Screening and Intervention for Elder Neglect in Patients with Dementia: An Evidence-Based Approach

NIH-funded research Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11178570

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 typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionWeill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11178570 on NIH RePORTER

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.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: 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.

Not a fit: 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.

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 performed: 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

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Alzheimer's disease and related dementiaAlzheimer's disease and related disordersAlzheimer's disease or a related dementiaAlzheimer's disease or a related disorderAlzheimer's disease or related dementia
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.