Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias affect a staggering number of families, and can devastate the lives of all involved.   

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that one in three seniors in the United States dies with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia. 16 million more individuals serve as unpaid caregivers, providing hundreds of billions of dollars of uncompensated care to their loved ones. This caregiving can lead to much higher levels of stress and worse health outcomes for caregivers.  

From using passive markers to identify the disease, to the impact of dementia screening and medications to how best to care for patients and their families, Regenstrief Institute is conducting a significant amount of research on dementia. 

Researchers are working to understand the relationship between dementia and anticholinergics, as well as how to safely deprescribe medicines. They are also focused on treating and preventing delirium in the intensive care unit, which greatly increases a person’s odds of developing dementia.  

A collaborative care model utilizing a team of healthcare workers to treat not only the patient with dementia but the family as well was developed at Regenstrief. Care models such as this along with other interventions to support caregivers are an important cornerstone of dementia research.