Care & Caregiving: Comparative effectiveness research

Partner with insurers (including CMS) to conduct comparative effectiveness research to determine which existing evidence-based interventions to reduce burden in caregivers are effective if implemented as an adjunct to primary care in non-research settings across the full care continuum, including patients in a variety of settings (home, nursing home, assisted living, hospice).

2026 PAR-18-585: Pragmatic Trials for Dementia Care in Long-term Services and Support (LTSS) Settings (R61/R33) RFA-AG-19-009: NIA AD/ADRD Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory (U54) RFA-AG-20-026: A Collaborative Network to Optimize Emergency Care of Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) RFA-AG-19-007: Roybal Centers for Translational Research on Dementia Care Provider Support (P30 Clinical Trial Required) RFA-AG-20-026: A Collaborative Network to Optimize Emergency Care of Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (R61/R33 Clinical Trials Optional) RFA-AG-22-024 Primary Care-Based Screening and Intervention Development for Prevention of Abuse in Older and Vulnerable Adults in the Context of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias RFA-AG-24-007: Roybal Centers for Translational Behavioral Research on Dementia Care, Caregiver Support, and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (P30 Clinical Trial Required) (Reissue of RFA-AG-19-007) 13.F Achieved Partner with insurers (including CMS) to conduct comparative effectiveness research to determine which existing evidence-based interventions to reduce burden in caregivers are effective... DN 2015 AD Summit: 5B, 5C, 5D and 5F 2017 Dementia Care Summit: 9.4 2020 Dementia Care Summit: 3.1, 3.3, 5.4, 5.8, 6.3 Relevant 2023 Dementia Care Summit G&Os: 3.1 News: New research collaboratory designed to spur innovation and improve dementia care Workshop: Gaps and Opportunities for Real-World Data: Stakeholder Workshop Workshop: Advanced Care Planning (ACP) in Primary Care Settings Research on Care and Caregiver Support NIA AD/ADRD Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory (U54) Edward R. Roybal Centers for Translational Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences of Aging Projects funded under RFA-AG-22-024

  • Conduct cluster randomized trials comparing interventions stemming from contact with caregiver dyads in primary care, with insurers supporting intervention costs and enrolled participants agreeing to allow researchers to link the data obtained in the study with billing data, to allow researchers to follow longer range health effects of caregiving and effective interventions.
  • Identification of programs that work best for different stages of the care continuum.
  • Launch a research program to identify interventions with demonstrated reduction in harm to PWD due to elder mistreatment.
  • Identification of which programs work best with different population subgroups (racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic).
  • Development of new models of care that can be adopted by insurers.
  • Collaborate with other federal agencies to disseminate caregiver training materials and interventions based on research.

Summary of Key Accomplishments

NIA issued a funding opportunity (RFA-AG-22-024) to call for research that can lead to the development of evidence-based primary care screening tools and behavioral interventions to prevent abuse in at-risk older and vulnerable adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD/ADRD and their families. Studies directly address the priority research needs highlighted in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s 2018 final statement on Intimate Partner Violence, Elder Abuse, and Abuse of Vulnerable Adults: Screening for the development and validation of screening instruments or assessments and point-of-care interventions.

In 2018, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) funded the Dementia Care Study (D-CARE); a 4-site randomized clinical trial comparing outcomes of health system-based, community-based, and usual dementia care. To build on these findings, NIA launched the D-CARE End of Life Study to examine how dementia care management affects end-of-life care for community-dwelling persons living with dementia (PLWD). This study will help to generate critical insights into care preferences, unmet needs near death, and healthcare use in the final 6 months of life.

The key accomplishments summary is current as of September 2025.