Helping the helpers: Nurse-scientist focuses on family caregivers of dementia patients

As new treatments for dementias like Alzheimer’s disease capture public attention, Carolyn E. Pickering, PhD, RN, at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston shines a spotlight on an equally critical yet less discussed aspect: the family members who care for patients with dementia.

“They really form the foundation of care for so many people who suffer from dementia, so it’s very important that we better understand and support caregivers,” says Pickering, who serves as Executive Director of the Cizik Nursing Research Institute. Established in 2024 through funding from Jane and Robert Cizik’s transformative gift in 2017, the institute fuels key academic initiatives, strengthening the school’s growing research portfolio.

Pickering’s focus on caregivers is a cornerstone of her larger research agenda to prevent the abuse and neglect of older adults, an interest sparked during her undergraduate work in a geriatric hospital unit. Older adults with dementia face the highest risk of abuse and neglect, often due to caregivers being overwhelmed and underprepared for the task.

To help solve this problem, Pickering is leading several studies aimed at supporting family caregivers to provide high quality and safe care. One study seeks to understand how family caregivers navigate daily decision-making for their loved ones with dementia, particularly how they prioritize care amid competing demands.

“We’re looking for opportunities to provide caregivers with resources to more effectively deliver care and complete all their tasks without feeling overwhelmed,” Pickering says.

Another study examines how caregivers manage behavioral symptoms of dementia through medication. By investigating the use of prescription and over-the-counter medications, Pickering hopes to enable better medication management practices.

She is also exploring how caregivers’ childhood experiences, including mistreatment, may influence their caregiving roles. “We know childhood mistreatment can have long-term effects, so this is an important line of inquiry for caregivers,” Pickering says.

Pickering’s work is supported by the Isla Carroll Turner Chair in Gerontological Nursing, which enables her to make her research findings publicly accessible. This aligns with her mission to equip caregivers with the information they need to better support their loved ones. The Turner Chair will also support her work to assess how chronic stress affects aging in caregivers, along with interventions to help caregivers practice self-compassion and reduce their stress.

“This will improve their lives and the well-being of the loved ones for whom they care, which is ultimately what we hope to accomplish,” she says.

Her research is further strengthened through collaboration with the UTHealth Houston Institute on Aging, a multidisciplinary partnership that unites all schools at UTHealth Houston. Working in concert with the Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and leveraging strategic clinical and hospital partnerships, the institute pursues research and programs that empower healthy aging while disseminating knowledge and innovations directly to the community.

“We have an excellent group of faculty who use their specific areas of expertise to help older adults,” she says. “It’s a pleasure to work with them and be part of the Institute on Aging.”