Nov. 2, 2026
Contact: Eric Stann, StannE@missouri.edu
University of Missouri researchers are putting caregivers at the center of three projects aimed at improving the health and well-being of families affected by dementia.
Supported by several grants from the National Institutes of Health, the team from Mizzou’s College of Education and Human Development is studying how sleep, family structure and social support affect the health of caregivers and the people they care for.
“Care partners can easily become invisible patients,” said Megan Gilligan, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. “They dedicate so much time and commitment to supporting a loved one living with dementia that their own physical and psychological health needs get pushed aside. If we want better health and well-being for people living with dementia, we must support the care partners providing that support, too.”
Helping caregivers sleep
For spouses caring for a partner with dementia, the demands of caregiving can make it difficult to prioritize their own health, including getting enough sleep.
An estimated 40% to 60% of these individuals experience insomnia, yet many have little time to seek help while caring for a loved one. To address that challenge, Mizzou researchers will test an online insomnia treatment program designed specifically for spousal caregivers.
The program adapts cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in a self-paced online format. Caregivers can complete interactive 20- to 40-minute sessions that teach strategies for improving sleep and developing more regular sleep habits.
Researchers will evaluate whether the program can give caregivers an accessible way to receive an effective nondrug treatment for chronic insomnia.
When sleep affects both partners
Sleep may also influence cognitive health as people age. And because spouses often influence each other’s sleep habits, Mizzou researchers are examining how couples’ sleep problems may be connected to changes in memory and thinking over time.
In the second project, the team will analyze data from an eight-year national study involving more than 2,800 older couples to determine whether shared sleep problems are associated with changes in cognitive health over time. The analysis will focus only on couples who did not show significant cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study.
While poor sleep and insomnia have long been linked to memory decline, most previous research has focused on individuals. Mizzou researchers are taking a broader view by considering sleep as something couples experience together.
“When we look at couples instead of individuals, we see new opportunities to protect cognitive health,” said Eunjin Tracy, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. “Because sleep is something we can change, understanding those connections could give us an opportunity to intervene earlier and support the long-term cognitive health of both partners.”
Navigating caregiving as an only child
While two of the projects focus on spouses, researchers are also examining how caring for a parent with dementia affects adult children, particularly those without siblings to share the responsibilities.
The third project, led by Hanamori Skoblow, will compare the experiences of only children with those who have siblings to better understand how family structure shapes caregiving and health.
Researchers will examine how caregivers’ broader support networks — including relatives, friends, neighbors, health care providers and paid caregivers — change over time and how those changes affect caregivers’ stress, well-being and physical health. To better understand the long-term effects of caregiving, they will also measure biological markers associated with inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
“Caring for a parent with dementia can be physically and emotionally demanding,” said Skoblow, a postdoctoral fellow in Mizzou’s Center for Family Policy and Research. “Yet we know surprisingly little about how being an only child shapes that experience. This project will help fill an important gap in our understanding.”
Taken together, the three projects reflect a shift in how researchers think about dementia care: not as something that affects one person, but as something that can reshape the health and daily lives of an entire family.
“Whether it’s a spouse providing care at home, an adult child coordinating services or friends and family stepping in to help, relationships play a critical role,” Gilligan said. “Understanding those dynamics helps us better support the caregivers.”
