DZNE leads research consortium supported by the Innovation Fund of Germany’s Federal Joint Committee
Greifswald/Witten (Germany), January 29, 2026. The health care research project “living@home” is launching in Germany aiming to provide support for people with dementia living at home and family caregivers. Led by DZNE, this initiative will test an app-based support system to ease caregiver burden and help stabilize home-based care in the long term. Universities, university hospitals, and health insurance providers are also involved. Funding of around €5.5 million is provided by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) through 2028. The G-BA is the highest decision-making body of the joint self-government of physicians, dentists, hospitals and health insurance funds in Germany.
According to estimates, around 1.8 million people in Germany live with dementia, most of them at home and cared for by relatives. This task is often time-consuming and associated with considerable physical and psychological strain. “Family caregivers provide a substantial contribution to dementia care. On average, they devote more than 35 hours per week to informal caregiving. There are simply not enough professionals to meet this demand. That’s why providing support here is so crucial,” says PD Dr. Dr. Bernhard Michalowsky, who heads a research group at DZNE in Greifswald and leads the study. “We intend to provide practical, easy-accessible support that enables people with dementia to remain in their familiar home environment for as long as possible instead of moving to residential care.”
This is precisely where living@home comes in. The project will be testing a new health care approach linked to memory clinics, supporting people with dementia and their relatives by specially trained care professionals (“family caregiver experts”). A key component of this approach is an app for smartphones and tablets: It provides a lasting connection between family caregivers and care professionals at memory clinics, ensuring help is available whenever needed.
Easy access to help
“Through this digital application, family caregivers can regularly document their situation as well as levels of burden and health status. In addition, they can contact their designated care professional at a memory clinic via chat or video call – at the time that works best for them and when support is needed. In addition, there will be regular consultations,” says Dr. Bernhard Holle, a research group leader at DZNE’s Witten site, who is in charge of implementing the study at the participating clinics. This enables rapid assistance, particularly in acute crisis situations. The app, developed by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (a project partner), also provides practical information on dementia, along with helpful tips for caring at home and managing everyday support.
Emphasis on family caregivers
The living@home concept builds on experience gained from “Dementia Care Management” that was developed by DZNE. In Dementia Care Management, patients are also supported by specially trained care professionals who are familiar with their individual situation and home environment. This fundamental concept has already been included in the S3 guideline and is intended to be transferred into routine health care. “With living@home, we are testing a complementary approach that places even greater emphasis on the support needs of family caregivers,” says Bernhard Michalowsky. “In addition, the app allows for more frequent, individualized and faster support than through scheduled home visits, as they happen in Dementia Care Management. Thus, with living@home, we are testing an ongoing support approach that is better adapted to the individual needs of family caregivers and people with dementia.”
Study with more than 500 dyads
The project will include more than 500 pairs (“dyads”) consisting of a person with dementia and a family caregiver. Each dyad will be supported by a trained family caregiver expert for a period of twelve months. This will take place through five memory clinics located in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine–Westphalia. “We are evaluating not only whether this approach reduces caregiver burden and improves quality of life for all involved individuals, but also how well participants are able to use the app and how feasible this care model is in routine practice,” says Michalowsky.
Project partners
AGAPLESION ELISABETHENSTIFT gGmbH, AOK – Die Gesundheitskasse für Niedersachsen, Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie Reutlingen mbH, University of Göttingen, IKK gesund plus, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, University of Konstanz, University of Cologne, Greifswald University Medicine, Rostock University Medicine