Family Telemental Health Intervention for Veterans With Dementia
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Terminated
- Enrollment
- 4
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Healthy Aging Brain Center Monitor (HABC Monitor):
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Dementia impacts Veterans, their families, and other Veterans who serve as caregivers. One of the most stressful aspects of caregiving is the management of behavioral problems (e.g. wandering, agitation, and sleep difficulties), which exacerbate health issues for both caregivers and persons with dementia (PWD). Existing VA caregiver treatments for caregiver stress and behavioral problems are often ineffective. Many caregivers do not realize their interactions with PWD contribute to behavioral problems and thus do not ask for help to improve their interpersonal skills. The aim of this project is to develop an assessment of interpersonal skills deficits and a related treatment strategy to assist family caregivers of PWD who are challenged by a lack of interpersonal skills and are not helped by existing family caregiver treatments. This project, will develop and test (1) a video assessment of caregiver/PWD interaction that clinicians will use to identify interpersonal difficulties and (2) a family therapy for the interpersonal difficulties clinicians identify in the assessment.
Detailed Description
Study temporarily suspended due to COVID risk associated with at risk population of Veterans with Dementia and often older caregivers.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Either the caregiver or the care-recipient must be a Veteran.
- •The caregiver must:
- •Be the primary unpaid family or friend who helps or supports an individual with dementia
- •Be involved in the care of the person with dementia (at least 4 hours of care per day)
- •Report that the care-recipient exhibits behavioral problems that are distressing
- •Not be currently receiving the REACH VA protocol
- •Additionally, the care-recipient must:
- •Must have a documented diagnosis of dementia
- •Have cognitive impairment (MMSE<23 or SLUMS<20 or diagnosis of dementia based on chart review)
- •Be out of bed and able to respond to a caregiver's instructions or interventions
Exclusion Criteria
- •Caregiver severe cognitive impairment
- •Caregiver inability to meet study demands
- •Caregiver psychosis
Arms & Interventions
Intervention Group
Caregiver and patient with dementia dyads who receive the family intervention.
Intervention: Telemental Health Family Intervention (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Healthy Aging Brain Center Monitor (HABC Monitor):
Time Frame: Post Treatment, an average of 12-18 weeks
A 31-item caregiver assessment of dementia severity, caregiver stress, and mood. Contains three patient symptom domains (Cognitive, functional, behavioral/psychological) and a caregiver quality of life domain. Shown to have good internal consistency (0.73-0.92) and construct validity.
Secondary Outcomes
- Zarit Burden Scale(Post Treatment, an average of 12-18 weeks)
- Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ)(Post Treatment, an average of 12-18 weeks)
- The Kansas Marital Conflict Scale (KMCS)(Post Treatment, an average of 12-18 weeks)