Telephone Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Caregivers of Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (TACTICs): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RRF)

Our ACT intervention will include 6 weekly 1-hour telephone sessions and 1 booster session offered 1 month after session 6 designed to increase psychological flexibility through practice of one or more of the six skills in each session. Although these are ideally spaced 1 week apart, participants will have up to 12 weeks to complete the 6 sessions. Each session will include guided mindfulness practice that encourages non-judgmental awareness of the present moment to increase psychological flexibility; brief (10-minute) study-provided audio recordings will enable participants to practice mindfulness at home. Caregivers will also identify deeply-held values to serve as a guide when choosing how to spend limited time or energy and will set values-based action goals each week. A booster session will be provided one month after session 6 to reinforce skills learned.

All caregivers randomized to the mEUC group will receive a mailed packet containing 1) a letter from the Co-PIs thanking them for participating, 2) printed selections from of the NIH Alzheimer's caregiving website (https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers/caregiving), and 3) a listing of Alzheimer's Association sponsored support groups closest to the caregiver's home address. Caregivers will also receive a brief phone call from the research coordinator to verify receipt of the packet. Since this is a usual care group with a minimally-enhanced component, it will be up to the mEUC participants to decide whether or not to engage with these intervention materials.