NIH grant: Scaling Virtual Dementia Care: A Pragmatic Evaluation of Tele-Nursing & E-Training to Reduce Acute Care Utilization and to Support Family Caregivers (1R44AG102274-01)

retained text

NIH grant 1R44AG102274-01: Scaling Virtual Dementia Care: A Pragmatic Evaluation of Tele-Nursing & E-Training to Reduce Acute Care Utilization and to Support Family Caregivers
Institute: {'code': 'AG', 'abbreviation': 'NIA', 'name': 'National Institute on Aging', 'admin_org_id': '12500002', 'admin_funding_url': ''}. PI: Samual C Thomas. Award: $831307.
Start: 2026-09-18T00:00:00.
Project Summary/Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias affect more than 7 million Americans and impose severe burden on family caregivers, who often lack training and real-time support. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently launched the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model, but few participants are testing virtual-first approaches. PocketRN, a CMS-approved GUIDE Participant, has partnered with Nevvon to deliver a fully integrated, virtual dementia care model that combines 24/7 tele-nursing with mobile-first caregiver education. This SBIR project will evaluate caregiver, implementation, and health system outcomes associated with this novel model using a concurrent parallel mixed-methods observational design. Caregivers of Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries enrolled in GUIDE will be compared to a matched group of caregivers for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, who are ineligible for GUIDE but otherwise similar. Surveys at baseline, 6, and 12 months will measure caregiver self-efficacy, burden, confidence, activation, satisfaction, and quality of life. Healthcare utilization proxies (e.g., ED visits, hospitalizations) and implementation metrics (e.g., enrollment, retention, reach) will be assessed, alongside qualitative interviews to contextualize findings. This study is the first to examine caregiver outcomes, healthcare utilization, and implementation and scalability of a virtual-first dementia care model, extending beyond CMS’s evaluation by examining caregiver-level outcomes, implementation fidelity, and scalability. Results will provide timely evidence relevant to inform the broader implementation of telehealth enabled dementia care that supports caregivers nationwide.

document fetched 2026-09-27 02:45