# The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias on Older Adults' Medicare Coverage Choices, Financial Well-being, and Health

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2022 · $125,653

## Abstract

1. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 This NIA career development award will establish Dr. McGarry, an Assistant Professor in the Department of
Medicine at the University of Rochester (UR), as an independent investigator with expertise in the areas of cognitive
aging, including Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD), and consumer choice in the Medicare program.
 With support from the award, Dr. McGarry will undertake a training plan that focuses on: 1) the clinical trajectory of
ADRD, 2) ADRD family caregiving and research, 3) qualitative research methods, and 4) leadership of a
multidisciplinary research team. This training will enable Dr. McGarry to conduct multidisciplinary, mixed-methods
research examining the impact of ADRD on Medicare choices and resultant outcomes. It builds off his current areas of
expertise, including Medicare policy and benefit design and quantitative health services research. Dr. McGarry has
leveraged the considerable resources available at UR to assemble a multidisciplinary team of nationally-recognized
experts. Dr. Kathi Heffner, the primary career development mentor, is a social psychologist with expertise in cognitive
aging and the study of caregivers with ADRD. Dr. Helena Temkin-Greener, the primary methods mentor, is a health
services researcher with expertise in the delivery and quality of health services for older adults and mixed methods
research. Together they will lead a mentorship team with additional expertise in qualitative research methods, the
measurement of functional cognitive abilities, the diagnosis and clinical care of individuals with ADRD, and the use of
national survey data linked with Medicare claims to study health outcomes in older adults.
 The Medicare program depends on consumer choice, yet little is known about the ability of older adults with
ADRD to navigate this complexity. Available evidence suggests this population is at increased risk of suboptimal
coverage choices, yet little is known about how these risks evolve over the disease course and their health and
financial effects. This mixed-methods study will examine the Medicare coverage choices of individuals with ADRD
throughout the disease course (Aim 1). The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) linked with Medicare claims will be
used to describe the Medicare coverage, and propensity to make changes, of individuals with ADRD at various stages
of cognitive decline. Analyses will also examine whether the impacts of cognitive declines are moderated by the
availability of family caregivers and socioeconomic resources. Qualitative interviews with caregivers of individuals with
ADRD will add depth and support the interpretation of the quantitative results. Using the same HRS data, the effects
of impaired household Medicare decision making due to ADRD on health and financial outcomes will be estimated
using a quasi-experimental design (Aim 2). Study results will provide critical information to policy makers about the
effects of Medicare pro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10507004
- **Project number:** 1K01AG078441-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian McGarry
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $125,653
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10507004

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10507004, The Impact of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias on Older Adults' Medicare Coverage Choices, Financial Well-being, and Health (1K01AG078441-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10507004. Licensed CC0.

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