# Indiana Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts-RCT

> **NIH NIH R01** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2021 · $680,223

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Dementia is a prevalent, growing public health problem; over 5 million Americans suffer from the condition and
up to 16 million people are projected to be affected by 2050. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia are often
treated with medications having greater evidence of adverse effects than benefits. Patients with dementia are
at risk for inadequate recognition and management of pain; receive burdensome treatments; and suffer with
insufficient involvement of palliative care services. Family caregivers receive inadequate support in the face of
substantial stress. Patients and families are poorly served by interventions and models that present dementia-
specific care and palliative care as mutually exclusive options. The overarching goal of this research by Dr.
Sachs’s team is to improve the care of community dwelling patients with dementia and their family caregivers
through an innovative model of supportive care that combines an existing, evidence-based intervention for
dementia care with an innovative intervention for palliative care in dementia. The intervention projects this care
into the homes of patients and caregivers, empowering caregivers, and integrating with ongoing care. The
proposed randomized controlled trial compares the IN-PEACE intervention (Indiana version of Palliative
Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts) to usual care for community dwelling patients with moderate to severe
dementia and their family caregivers. IN-PEACE will enroll 200 patient-caregiver dyads, randomizing 100
dyads each to the intervention and usual care arms and follow for 24 months with outcome assessments at 3,
6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months by research assistants blinded to treatment group. The core of the multi-
component intervention is regular, proactive telephone contact by a dementia care coordinator (DCC; social
worker or RN) to anticipate and identify patients’ symptoms and caregivers needs and address them utilizing
specific, evidence-based protocols. Protocols cover basic dementia care, caregiver distress, neuropsychiatric
symptoms, pain, navigating the hospital, feeding difficulties, and transition to hospice. The intervention also
involves advance care planning and support with caregivers tailored to decisions faced in dementia care,
highlighting where palliative care options can replace the default that often results in burdensome treatments.
DCCs are supported by weekly meetings of the interdisciplinary research team, as well as collaboration with
patients’ primary care providers and community services. The primary aim of IN-PEACE is to test the effect of
the intervention on patients’ neuropsychiatric symptoms. Other aims include testing the effect of IN-PEACE on
patients’ overall symptom outcomes, caregiver mood and distress, and the provision of burdensome
treatments to patients (hospitalizations and emergency room visits). IN-PEACE is based on an innovative
supportive care model; utilizes an innovative interven...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144344
- **Project number:** 5R01AG057733-04
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** GREG A SACHS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $680,223
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144344

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144344, Indiana Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts-RCT (5R01AG057733-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144344. Licensed CC0.

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