Bring Communities and Technology Together for Healthy Aging

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: 65 Years Older; Requires IADL Support; Past Year History of Falls and/or Hospitalization
• Interventions: Other: Elder Tree website

• Registration Number: NCT02128789
• Lead Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Brief Summary

Technology has been created to help older adults age well in their homes, but adoption and acceptance have been slow. The researchers are developing a low-cost web-based technology, called Elder Tree, for older adults and caregivers to address key challenges older adults face, such as loneliness and isolation, falls, loss of driving privileges, relapsing from proven falls prevention strategies, and unreliable home services. Elder Tree is being developed and tested with older adults and caregivers to identify, 1) usability issues such as font size, navigation and interface (audio, video,text) and 2) content and tailoring issues such as identifying local resources and events. This study will employ a randomized longitudinal design comparing a control group to an intervention group over a 12-month period. Investigators hypothesize that older adults using Elder Tree will experience greater independence and quality of life when compared to the control group. Investigators will use quantitative measures to determine how much our intervention improves: quality of life and health system use. These measures will help us to determine the cost effectiveness of Elder Tree. Investigators will recruit and test Elder Tree in 3 Regional Aging and Disability Resource Centers; one urban, one suburban and one rural setting, so to account for environmental and community differences. The older adult and their caregiver will be randomized to the same treatment group. Investigators will measure the effect over the 12 month intervention period and a 6 month follow-up period at 18 months.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-06
• Study First Submitted: 2014-03-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-04-29
• Study First Posted: 2014-05-01
• Primary Completion: 2016-05
• Study Completion: 2016-05
• Status Verified: 2016-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-10-26
• Last Update Posted: 2016-10-27

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 600

Inclusion Criteria

• 65 years or older
• In need of IADL support
• 1 years history or risk of hospitalization or falls
• Resident of the following counties Milwaukee, WI, Waukesha Wi or Richland County
• Must be able to read English at a 6th grade level.

Exclusion Criteria

• Under 65 years of age
• Unable to read English
• Not a resident of the above listed counties.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Elder Tree Condition	Elder Tree website	Elder Tree website. Subjects receive usual care, support and access to the study intervention website.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of older adult subjects with increased independence and quality of life from baseline to 18 months	Change in independence and quality of life will be assessed at 6, 12 , 18 months	Compared to the control group elders using Elder Tree will experience greater independence and quality of life and will have fewer unscheduled clinical and emergency room visits and hospital and nursing home stays.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of caregiver subjects with improved satisfaction	Change in improved caregiver satisfaction will be assessed at 6, 12 , 18 months	Compared to the control group, caregivers using Elder Tree will experience improved satisfaction, coping and appraisal.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of WI Madison; 🇺🇸 Madison, Wisconsin, United States