Caregiver/Care Partner Research

Description

The Dementia Caregiver/Care Partner research portfolio is broad and encompasses topics ranging from the demography of caregiving, economic impacts of caregiving, promoting health and wellbeing in care partners, measures and tool development, non-pharmacological intervention development for care partners or care partner-PLWD dyads, and care partner management of communication, decision making, and care planning. Research is encouraged that focuses on the unique needs and experiences of care partners from diverse backgrounds as well as the special challenges associated with caregiving for individuals in vulnerable groups, including those at risk for elder mistreatment and those living alone with dementia in the community. The AHRQ review, Care Interventions for People Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers, and the accompanying NASEM consensus study report, Meeting the Challenge of Caring for Persons Living With Dementia and Their Care Partners and Caregivers, found opportunities to improve and strengthen the care partner research base. BSR supports the development of dementia caregiving and caregiver support interventions aligned with the NIH Stage Model. Early Stage projects are supported through pilot programs at dedicated AD/ADRD Roybal Centers and pilot interventions for embedded pragmatic trials are supported through the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory.

The NIA-funded National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) is a data resource for caregiving research. NSOC is a longitudinal study of care partners of older adults, both with and without Alzheimer’s disease, who participated in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Care partners are interviewed about their caregiving experience, including intensity and duration of caregiving, care activities, positive and negative aspects, services and supports, health and well-being, and caregiving effects on employment, income, and participation in activities. Linking NSOC data with information from NHATS makes available data from both the care recipient and care partner perspectives. This data infrastructure contributes to fulfilling AD Milestone 13C and provides new opportunities for researchers to gain a better understanding of trends in late life functioning of both older adults and care partners.

Related AD+ADRD Research Implementation Milestones: 11A, 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E, 13F, 13J

Active Projects as of September 2021: Caregiver/care partner research

Research Programs and Contacts

Program Contact	Relevant Area(s)
Elena Fazio	Demography of unpaid/family caregiving Measurement and data needs for care partner research Economic and labor force impact of caregiving Caregiving interventions in home and community-based settings
Melissa Gerald	Triadic interactions with clinicians, PLWD, and care partners Ethical implications of care partners in care teams for PLWD
Amelia Karraker	Measures and methods for care partner research Demography of caregiving
Liz Necka	Interpersonal relationships and relational factors within dyads of PLWD and their care partners Dyadic interventions for family caregivers and PLWD
Lisa Onken	Caregiving interventions
John W.R. Phillips	Economic and labor force impact of caregiving

Funding Opportunities

BSR is accepting grant applications to a number of funding opportunities related to dementia caregiver/care partner research. In addition, any AD/ADRD-focused application can be submitted to NIA’s parent AD/ADRD R01 and R21 program announcements. Notices of Special Interest associated with these parent NOFOs specify high priority behavioral and social research topics. Please see below for current funding opportunities. For a list of all of BSR’s active funding opportunities, visit our funding opportunities and applicant resources page.

NOFO/ Number	Title	Release Date	Expiration Date
NOT-OD-22-167	Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research on Addressing Violence to Improve Health Outcomes	7/8/2022	10/5/2025
PAR-22-213	Complex Integrated Multi-Component Projects in Aging Research (U19 Clinical Trial Optional)	7/7/2022	9/26/2025
NOT-AG-21-047	Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Behavioral and Social Science Priority Areas in Dementia Care Partner/Caregiver Research	1/6/2022	11/13/2024
PAR-21-307	Dementia Care and Caregiver Support Intervention Research (R01 Clinical Trial Required)	8/11/2021	2/14/2024
PAR-21-308	Pragmatic Trials for Dementia Care and Caregiver Support (R61/R33 – Clinical Trial Required)	8/11/2021	2/14/2024
PAR-21-141	AD/ADRD Clinical Trials Short Course (R25 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)	3/4/2021	9/8/2023

Research Investments

BSR has supported research projects focused on caregiver/care partner research through targeted notices of funding opportunity. Although some of these funding opportunities are no longer active, the topics outlined in the announcements remain priority research areas for BSR. Applications on these topics should be submitted through a relevant active NOFO or through NIA’s parent AD/ADRD R01 and R21 program announcements.

RFA-AG-21-025 - Development of Cost-Effective and Customizable Training and Education Platforms for AD/ADRD Caregivers that Focus on Addressing Financial Management and Legal Planning (R43/R44).
RFA-AG-20-006 - Interpersonal Processes in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Clinical Interactions and Care Partnerships. Funded Project Descriptions.
PAR-17-107 and PAR-17-108 - Development of Socially-Assistive Robots (SARs) to Engage Persons with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD), and their Caregivers. Funded Project Descriptions.
RFA-AG-18-030 - Dementia Care and Caregiver Support Interventions. Funded Project Descriptions.
PAR-18-027 and PAR-18-179 - Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease. Funded Project Descriptions.
PAR-15-348 and PAR-15-351 - Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease. Funded Project Descriptions.
NOT-AG-18-057 - Notice to Specify High-Priority Research Topic for PAR-19-070 and PAR-19-071: Behavioral and Social Science Priority Areas in Dementia Care Research. Funded Project Descriptions.