Discovering Solutions for Dementia Symptoms
What is the study about?
The purpose of this research is to better understand when and why people living with dementia have behavioral symptoms such as repeating the same question over and over.
We are exploring a variety of possible causes such as environmental triggers, genetic risk factors, inflammatory markers, and microbiome (our gut bacteria).
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How do you participate?
We are enrolling both persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and their family caregivers -- who live in Alabama.
For caregivers: At the enrollment visit we will ask you to complete a survey that helps us get to know you, your loved one and your daily life. Then, we will ask you to complete short diary surveys about behavioral symptoms you observe while caring for your loved one. These surveys will also ask about things that happened during the day such as visitors you had or activities your loved one did. These diary surveys will be completed daily for 30 days.
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For persons living with Alzheimer's disease:
We will ask you to complete short surveys about your symptoms. We will also ask you for a sample of your blood, your saliva, and your stool. We will do this every week for 5 weeks. We will come visit you at your home to collect this information so that you do not have to travel. We will provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for the visits. We can also do visits outside. All study staff have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
We will also ask you to attend an appointment at the UAB Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. At this appointment you will go through an exam to assess your cognitive and physical health. They will also ask you for blood and for some saliva. We can help with transportation to this appointment if needed.
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All participants will be compensated for their time, up to $250. For the person living with dementia, we can also provide your results from genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease.
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