Alternative Carer Respite: A Study on Its Effectiveness and Potential Mechanism

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Caregiver Burden

• Registration Number: NCT07004842
• Lead Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong

Brief Summary

The primary objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of alternative carer respite in meeting the unique needs of older adults without children or with limited contact with their children in Hong Kong. Caregivers are assessed before and after the intervention, and three months after the end of intervention on their physical health, mental well-being, social engagement, and overall satisfaction.

Detailed Description

All participants will provide informed consent at the time of enrolment. Both caregivers and their care recipients will complete an assessment. Caregivers are screened for their physical health, mental well-being, social engagement, and overall satisfaction. Care recipients are screened using InterRAI for their physical functions.

Caregivers will receive a maximal of 48 hours of respite service within 6 month. Alternative caregivers will provide in-home elderly-sitting service so that the caregivers can have some private time for themselves.

At the end of the service period, caregivers and care recipients will complete the assessment again to measure the changes of their physical and mental health.

All participants will be contacted again for follow-up assessment 3 months after the completion of service.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-12-01
• Status Verified: 2025-05
• Study First Submitted: 2025-05-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-05-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-05-26
• Study First Posted: 2025-06-04
• Last Update Posted: 2025-06-04
• Primary Completion: 2025-11-30
• Study Completion: 2025-11-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

• Either the CR or CG is aged ≥60
• Reported having (a) no children; OR (b) no children in Hong Kong; OR (c) having children in Hong Kong but with limited contact (i.e., fewer than once per month in any forms)
• Voluntary participation.

Exclusion Criteria

• Unable to communicate in neither Cantonese, English nor Mandarin

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in score in caregiving needs on the Carer Needs Screening Tool (CNST-11) after the intervention	Baseline and Immediate after intervention	The Carer Needs Screening Tool (CNST-11) is a self-developed tool that measures different aspects of caregiving needs over the past 1 week period. It is a 11-item scale, with 8 items that determines the overall needs level and the others for four aspects of needs: physical health, mental health, social support and care needs. Possible score is from 8 to 32 with lower score indicates lower caregivers' needs.; Change in score = Immediate after intervention - baseline
Change from baseline in score in depression symptoms on PHQ-9 after the intervention	Baseline and Immediate after intervention	The Patient History Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a widely used tool that consists of nine questions designed to screen and monitor the presence and severity of depression. The total score on the PHQ-9 ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms. The score ranges for the PHQ-9 are as follows: 0-4: Minimal depression symptoms; 5-9: Mild depression; 10-14: Moderate depression; 15-19: Moderately severe depression; 20-27: Severe depression Change in score = Immediate after intervention - baseline
Change from baseline in score in anxiety symptoms on GAD-7 after the intervention	Baseline and Immediate after intervention	The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) involves 7- items assessing the severity of anxiety symptoms. The total score on the GAD-7 ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms. The score ranges for the GAD-7 are as follows: 0-4: Minimal anxiety symptoms; 5-9: Mild anxiety; 10-14: Moderate anxiety; 15-21: Severe anxiety.; Change in score = Immediate after intervention - baseline
Change in score from baseline in quality of life measured by EQ-5D-5L after intervention	Baseline and Immediate after intervention	The EQ-5D-5L is a standardized instrument used to assess health-related quality of life across five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. The responses are converted into a single index value representing overall health status using Hong Kong's normative value. The primary outcome measure in this study is the change in EQ-5D-5L index scores from baseline to post-intervention/follow-up assessments. 1 equals to perfect health and more negative numbers indicates worse health. Change in health index = Immediate after intervention - baseline
Changes in score from baseline in perception of caregiving measured by Positive Aspect of Caregiving scale after intervention	Baseline and Immediate after intervention	The Positive Aspect of Caregiving scale is a 11-item scale that measures how the caregiver perceive caregiving experience, specifically in a positive aspect (e.g., caregiving makes me feel useful). It is rated in a 5-point Likert scale from "very disagree" to "very agree", with potential score from 0 to 44. A higher score indicates caregiving perceiving it in a more positive way.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Hong Kong; 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, Hong Kong