# A Dyadic Approach to Improve Sleep and Well-Being Among Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Caregivers

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2023 · $744,288

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Poor sleep is very common in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and
their caregivers. It is significantly associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes and well-being
in both members of the group. Unmanaged poor sleep will further impact the quality of care that the caregivers
provide for the patients. This suggests a critical need of sleep management in this vulnerable population.
Unfortunately, an intervention addressing sleep problems of both members of the dyad simultaneously is
lacking, particularly using the behavioral strategies that have been effective in other groups. Effects of sleep
intervention programs in different delivery modalities are also unknown in this group.
 The current proposal aims to examine the efficacy of a dyadic sleep intervention program for ADRD
patients and their caregivers, that is built upon PI’s prior work. We propose a 3-arm randomized controlled trial
design (Stage II), including both in-person (n=70 dyads) and telehealth (n=70 dyads) delivery of the
intervention, compared to in-person sleep education control (n=70 dyads). The dyadic intervention is a 5-week,
manual-based program, which incorporates key components of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, daily
light exposure and walking, and a problem-solving approach for ADRD-related problematic nighttime behaviors
and other caregiving challenges. All intervention sessions will be delivered by a sleep educator. Primary
outcomes include subjective and objective sleep quality of the dyads. Secondary outcomes include the
patients’ dementia-related behaviors and quality of life, and the caregivers’ burden, depression, and perceived
health. We will also explore effects of the dyadic sleep program on inflammatory markers among caregivers.
All outcomes will be measured at baseline, post-intervention (i.e., immediately after the last session of the
intervention), and 6-month after the last session. Both superior (both in-person and telehealth interventions
versus control) and non-inferior effects (in-person versus telehealth intervention) will be tested.
 A unique aspect of the proposed work is that the program is tailored to address sleep problems of both
patients and caregivers, and includes inflammatory biomarkers to evaluate a key mechanism of intervention
benefits that can be further explored in future research. The knowledge gained from this study has the potential
to improve the lives of ADRD patients and their caregivers. Our dyadic sleep intervention can be disseminated
to multiple communities serving ADRD patients and/or caregivers, including those that lack access to
traditional in-person sleep treatment. The intervention manual can also be used to train health professionals
and staff in various types of community programs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10642774
- **Project number:** 5R01AG076756-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Yeonsu Song
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $744,288
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-06-15 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10642774

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10642774, A Dyadic Approach to Improve Sleep and Well-Being Among Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Caregivers (5R01AG076756-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10642774. Licensed CC0.

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