Understanding and supporting informal care partners of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias
Official title: Capturing the complexities of informal caregiver networks: New measures to improve outcomes for informal care partners of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD)
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11463420 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new project aims to create smarter, easier ways to measure and understand the experiences of people who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,415,453 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1AG083030-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11463420 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Care partners of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including non-traditional networks of support.
✕Less likely to help
Care partners without access to the proposed support tools or those not involved in caregiving networks may not experience direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on informal care partners beyond the traditional family caregiver, including friends and non-traditional supporters. Researchers will develop advanced, computer-adaptive measurement tools to capture the full spectrum of caregivers’ experiences and challenges. The goal is to create practical, patient-facing tools that help tailor support and resources to each caregiver’s situation. The grant is led by the University of Michigan and targets a nuanced understanding of caregiver networks over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, caregivers and care recipients could receive more personalized support and resources based on smarter, real-time assessments of caregiver needs.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has highlighted caregiver stress, but this project focuses on expanding measurement to diverse, non-traditional care networks.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Carlozzi, Noelle E. — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Carlozzi, Noelle E.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Negotiation training to help Alzheimer’s caregivers communicate with care teams
A program called NegotiAge helps families caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease learn better negotiation skills to talk with doctors, insurers, and other caregivers.
-
Caregiver networks around people with Alzheimer’s disease
A researcher at Northwestern University is testing a social-network method to map all the family and friend caregivers surrounding someone with Alzheimer’s to understand how relationships help or hinder care.
-
Peer Caregiver Navigation for Alzheimer’s: Support by a paraprofessional peer coach
A caregiver-support program led by trained paraprofessionals helps family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease manage stress, learn coping skills, and access peer support.
-
LifeBioTALK: tablet avatar conversations to engage people with Alzheimer's and ease caregiver stress
A tablet app uses a human-like avatar to speak, show videos, and interact with people living with Alzheimer's to reduce loneliness and make caregiving easier.
-
Using a robot to help care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease
This study is looking at how a friendly robot can help people with Alzheimer’s by assisting them with everyday tasks and providing companionship, while also making life easier for their caregivers.
-
Understanding the challenges faced by caregivers of Alzheimer's patients
This study is looking at how taking care of someone with Alzheimer's affects caregivers and what support they need, so we can find better ways to help them feel less overwhelmed.
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.