# A Multi-Site Cluster RCT of the Dementia Symptom Management At Home Program

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $696,937

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
As the population ages, the incidence rate of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (dementia) is
expected to triple. Most persons with dementia (PWD) will be cared for in the community. However, the support
and resources to ensure proper care is provided to PWD in the community is not currently present as noted in
the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s. One form of community-based care that is frequently provided to
PWD in the community is home healthcare. While these clinicians often care for PWD, few agencies, or home
health clinicians are appropriately prepared to provide palliative, symptom based, patient and family centered
care for this vulnerable population. There are over 10,000 skilled home healthcare agencies providing care in
almost every county across the United States. Thus, home healthcare is an untapped existing resource that
could be utilized more effectively to improve the quality of care and quality of life for the PWD and their informal
caregiver, reduce utilization, and decrease healthcare spending. The most concerning areas in need of
improvement is in managing pain and behavioral and psychological disturbances (BPSD) in the PWD as they
have significant effects on both PWD and caregiver quality of life, as well as on healthcare utilization. The
Dementia Symptom Management at Home Program (DSM-H) is an interprofessional evidence-based multi-
component intervention developed specifically for home healthcare agencies. It includes clinician training,
mentorship and evidence-based assessment instruments, careplans and caregiver teaching sheets. The DSM-
H has shown strong preliminary results, and therefore this study will perform a multi-site cluster randomized
efficacy trial. The DSM-H will be randomly implemented in care teams at three diverse home healthcare
agencies located in different regions of the United States. The aims of this trial are to: 1) Measure the effects
of the DSM-H on quality of life and symptom severity in the PWD. 2) Assess the effects of the DSM-H
on quality of life, and physical and mental health in the informal caregiver of the PWD. 3) Assess the
effects of the DSM-H on healthcare utilization in the PWD. This study will recruit 460 PWD-informal
caregiver dyads and each dyad will be assessed on admission, 15, 30 and 60 days post admission by an
independent, blinded research assistant using standardized assessment instruments. We hypothesize that the
DSM-H will improve quality of life of the PWD and caregiver, improve symptom management, and reduce
utilization. While other interventions have focused on home-based models, no prior interventions have used
both an interprofessional model and one where an existing, widespread, service model is used. This study is
therefore significant and innovative as it will be the first to test the efficacy of a potentially widely disseminable
and impactful evidence-based palliative and symptom management intervention for improving the quality...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10127548
- **Project number:** 5R01AG056610-05
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Abraham Aizer Brody
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $696,937
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10127548

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10127548, A Multi-Site Cluster RCT of the Dementia Symptom Management At Home Program (5R01AG056610-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10127548. Licensed CC0.

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