# Promoting Reengagement in Daily Meaningful Activity Intervention for Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Caregivers

> **NIH NIH R01** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2021 · $540,279

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
This study examines efficacy of a theoretically-based, positive health focused, tailored, nurse-delivered, family-
centered intervention: “Daily Engagement in Meaningful Activity” (DEMA). DEMA is designed for older persons
with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and family caregivers. Nearly 20% of Americans over 65 have MCI.
Patients with MCI (patients) experience reduced life satisfaction due to patients’ increasing lack of confidence
and diminished ability to perform meaningful and/or important activities, leading to diminished meaningful
activity engagement, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Caregivers lack confidence to manage their own and
their patient’s daily challenges, leading to high caregiver burden, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Patients
and caregivers (dyads) report diminished satisfaction with their communication and relationship due to
disagreements regarding the patient’s functional ability. Patient/caregiver behavioral interventions are more
successful when they occur before progression to dementia. Previous cognitive intervention studies used
limited, single domain foci (e.g., cognitive training, exercise, or nutrition) that may not be meaningful enough to
sustain patient engagement long enough to improve life satisfaction. Emerging evidence, including our pilot
studies, suggests regular engagement in self-identified meaningful activities can improve life satisfaction and
depression and reduces risk of developing dementia. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to
determine efficacy of DEMA compared to an information support (IS) attention control group. DEMA: 1) fosters
active listening to increase dyad agreement in perceptions of patient functional ability; 2) helps dyads enhance
engagement in and satisfaction with self-identified meaningful activities through problem solving to assess,
prioritize, and achieve identified meaningful activity goals; 3) builds on patient’s existing interests and skills;
and 4) provides information and didactic support to address priority concerns and dyad adjustment to
functional changes and plan for the future. Specific aims are: 1) test DEMA’s efficacy for improve patient/
caregiver life satisfaction; 2) test DEMA’s efficacy to improve activity performance, depressive symptoms and
anxiety in patients and burden, depressive symptoms, anxiety in caregivers; and, 3) explore a sub-sample of
patients with higher depressive symptoms for improvement in health outcomes over time, compared to non-
depressed patients. Eligible patient/caregiver dyads (n = 200) will be randomized to a 7-session DEMA or IS
intervention, with data collected at baseline and 3 times over 9 months. Mixed model effects will be analyzed.
If efficacious, DEMA will provide high impact on the care of patients and caregivers by maintaining their
engagement in meaningful activities to improve patient and caregiver life satisfaction, depressive symptoms,
anxiety, relationship satisfaction, activity perfo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10181084
- **Project number:** 5R01NR018162-02
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Yueh-Feng Yvonne Lu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $540,279
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-05 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10181084

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10181084, Promoting Reengagement in Daily Meaningful Activity Intervention for Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Caregivers (5R01NR018162-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10181084. Licensed CC0.

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