Lewy Body Dementia Study
Lewy Body Dementia (LBD; the current term that encompasses Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson’s Disease with Dementia) is the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia, accounting for 4 to 15% of dementia cases. Caregivers for LBD experience a distinct profile of demands that include: a) cognitive symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s Disease, b) motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, and c) additional core symptoms of LBD that differ from other dementias in their presentation: fluctuations in cognition, hallucinations, delusions and REM behavioral sleep disturbances (including acting out dreams). The LBD Caregiver Study will enhance the wellbeing of caregivers for older adults with LBD by gathering information about caregiving tasks, caregiver stress, and caregivers’ psychological and physical reactions to that stress throughout the day, allowing development of caregiver interventions and programs tailored to the unique needs of caregivers for older adults experiencing Lewy Body Dementia.
Daily Experiences and Well-being Study
The Daily Experience and Well-being Study (DEWS) is funded by the National Institute on Aging and studies how social interactions improve the health of older adults. Past research on the links between social interactions and health is largely based on people’s self-reported physical activity, cognitive activity, and social interactions.
This study uses self-evaluations and actual in-the-moment measures. A group of 333 adults over the age of 70 from across Austin participated in this study starting in August 2016. Participants completed self-evaluations of physical activity and social interactions, and tests of cognitive abilities. Then, they wore small, comfortable devices that assessed their physical activity, sleep, and daily environments. With this information, our team has learned how older adults’ daily experiences translate into their emotional, cognitive, and physical health.
Please use this website to see available data
This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), R01AG046460, Social Networks and Well-being in Late Life: A Study of Daily Mechanisms (Karen L. Fingerman, Principal investigator) This research was also supported by grant, 5 R24 HD042849 awarded to the Population Research Center (PRC) at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Family Exchanges Study
The Family Exchanges Study (FES) interviewed 3 generations of family members (633 families, nearly 2000 family members) in 2008 and 2013. Participants included a middle-aged adult, their aging parents, and grown children. The Family Exchanges Study included a wide cross-section of economic backgrounds and over a third of participants identified as an ethnic minority.
Please use this website to see available data.
This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), R01AG027769, Family Exchanges Study II (Karen L. Fingerman, Principal investigator). The MacArthur Network on an Aging Society (John W. Rowe, Network director) provided funds. This research also was supported by grant, 5 R24 HD042849 awarded to the Population Research Center (PRC) at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
