This is a K01 award application for Dr. Jacqueline Eaton, a gerontologist and young investigator pursuing
transdisciplinary research on enhancing the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers through arts-
based interventions. A K01 award will provide her with the means to acquire critical skills in four key career
development areas: 1) behavioral intervention research using the NIH Stage Model; 2) Alzheimer’s Disease
and related dementias (ADRD); 3) applied multilevel growth modeling; and 4) interdisciplinary team leadership
and management skills for intervention research. By gaining these skills, Dr. Eaton will fulfill her career goal of
becoming an independent academic investigator and national leader in arts-based intervention research
focused on ADRD caregivers. Supporting this goal, Dr. Eaton has assembled the mentoring team of Drs. Lee
Ellington (Primary Mentor), a research psychologist who leads complex, multi-site clinical caregiver studies,
and Julene Johnson (Co-Mentor), a cognitive neuroscientist with expertise in developing arts-based
interventions for older adults. She has also assembled a three person Advisory Committee with expertise in the
NIH Stage Model, ADRD caregiving, and multilevel growth modeling.
It is estimated that by 2050, 13.8 million Americans will be living with dementia and up to 90% will
experience behavioral symptoms, such as agitation, combativeness, and depression. Behavioral symptoms
are associated with greater stress for caregivers, which leads to poor health, decreased quality of life, and
increased burden. There is a need to find effective interventions to address the negative effects of behavioral
symptoms. This proposal focuses on developing and testing the Enhancing Active Caregiver Training (EnACT)
to help caregivers better manage the common behavioral symptoms associated with ADRD. Using the NIH
Stage Model, we will create (Stage 1a) and conduct preliminary testing (Stage 1b) of these techniques in a
group intervention. By pursuing the following specific aims, Dr. Eaton will develop and test EnACT to prepare
for a stage 3 clinical trial (to be proposed in an R01 application during the K01 award period). Specific Aim 1
will develop and iteratively refine the EnACT intervention for ADRD caregivers. Specific Aim 2 will evaluate
the feasibility and acceptability of the EnACT intervention. Specific Aim 3 will examine potential mechanisms
of change over time and their subsequent impact on proximal and distal outcomes.
There is a rise in the number of caregivers required to give optimal support to an aging population that will
have a greater need for, and impact on, local and national resources. Dr. Eaton’s proposed research is
significant because effective evidence-based interventions require systematic approaches to enhance active
caregiver training which has been shown to improve outcomes for ADRD caregivers. The proposed research is
innovative because it combines techniques from a variety of disciplines to increase engagement and enhance
our understanding of mechanisms of action within caregiver interventions.