# Meaningful Activity Intervention for Individuals With Early-Stage Dementia: Involving the End User in Intervention Design

> **NIH NIH K23** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $155,251

## Abstract

Abstract
The aim of this NIA Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award
application is to support my career objective to become an independent clinical investigator
specializing in the design and implementation of non-pharmacological interventions for
persons with dementia. Throughout the literature, the majority of intervention studies have
targeted persons with at least moderate dementia and have not involved the person with
dementia in the construction of the intervention(s). In preliminary studies on which I served
as a co-investigator, tailored interventions demonstrated beneficial impact on
neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia but did not significantly impact measures of well-
being (i.e., depressive symptomatology). Thus, it is important to examine whether
intervention implementation at an earlier stage of dementia and greater involvement of
persons with dementia in the intervention design lead to better immediate and long-term
outcomes. I propose a training plan that will facilitate the development of a protocol for the
collaborative creation of a tailored activity plan. This training plan will also allow me to gain
the necessary knowledge base to conduct a larger, randomized controlled trial that
incorporates neurological biomarkers of dementia. The proposed five-year research plan
represents a novel and critical contribution to the field by developing the first service user-
led meaningful activity intervention for persons with early-stage dementia. The specific aims
of the proposed research are to: (1) identify delivery characteristics of an activity
intervention for persons with dementia at the early stage, (2) evaluate the feasibility,
acceptability, and initial potential benefits of this protocol, and (3) evaluate the feasibility of
the revised protocol and examine its effects on outcomes. An exploratory aim is to evaluate
whether the activities are used independently of the intervention (i.e., sustainable). A total of 60
community-dwelling older adults with early dementia (≥60 years) will be recruited to
participate in the pilot study. These participants will be drawn from the Johns Hopkins
University Maximizing Independence (MIND) at Home study, the Johns Hopkins Bayview
Medical Center Memory Clinic, and community-based social agencies such as the
Alzheimer’s Association. The expectation is that the findings from this project will ultimately
advance the field of dementia care through analysis of the long-term benefits of
implementing activities early-on and the benefits to persons with dementia of participating in
intervention design.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10381709
- **Project number:** 5K23AG058809-05
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Natalie Grace Regier
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $155,251
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10381709

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10381709, Meaningful Activity Intervention for Individuals With Early-Stage Dementia: Involving the End User in Intervention Design (5K23AG058809-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10381709. Licensed CC0.

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