Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Emory University received a $627,646 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866), effective February 15, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2031. The grant funds a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of REPAIR Sleep, a five-week cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) intervention delivered via videoconferencing to dyads consisting of persons living with dementia and their caregivers. The research addresses the significant health burden of sleep disturbances affecting up to 71% of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, which negatively impacts both patients and their caregivers through nocturnal wakefulness, fragmented sleep, and increased caregiver burden.

The primary deliverables under this grant include conducting a rigorous randomized controlled trial with 120 patient-caregiver dyads to evaluate the immediate and six-month efficacy of the REPAIR Sleep intervention compared to an attention control intervention titled Healthy Living. The study is grounded in established theoretical frameworks—the Modified Spielman 3P Model of Insomnia and the Theory of Dyadic Illness Management—and builds upon a successful pilot demonstration of feasibility and acceptability. The research will generate evidence on whether partnered CBT-I interventions, delivered remotely and engaging both care recipients and caregivers jointly in treatment sessions, represent an effective alternative to medication-based approaches for addressing sleep disturbances in dementia populations.