Developing a Distance Education System to Train Savvy Caregiver Program Interventionists: Extending Access and Capacity in Community-Based Delivery of Evidence-Based Interventions
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Emory University
- Enrollment
- 120
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) Score
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The study goal is to develop a web-based system that uses distance education methods and provides manuals and protocols to train, certify, and monitor the performance of interventionists to deliver the Savvy Caregiver program (Savvy), an evidence-based dementia family caregiver psychoeducation program. The system has a potential to increase the scalability of Savvy.
Detailed Description
The number of People Living With Disability (PLWD) in the U.S. will rise from 5.7 million to 14 million by 2050, and the number of family caregivers who maintain these persons in the community will rise proportionately from 15 million at present. Several psychoeducation programs, including Savvy, have successfully ameliorated the adverse effects of caregiving, but these programs are only minimally available and accessible.
The study goal is to develop a web-based system that uses distance education methods and provides manuals and protocols to train, certify, and monitor the performance of interventionists to deliver the Savvy Caregiver program (Savvy), an evidence-based dementia family caregiver psychoeducation program. The system has a potential to increase the scalability of Savvy.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Non Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Health Services Research
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Organizational Leaders
- •Able to understand and speak English
- •Affiliated with an organization serving caregivers for family members living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias
- •18 years or older
- •Interventionists
- •Able to understand and speak English
- •Affiliated with a participating organization
- •18 years or older
- •Able to understand and speak English
- •Caregiver for a person living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (PLWD) who is providing informal care for at least 3 hours a day. PLWD should not be bound for institutional care within the next 6 months.
- •18 years or older
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Savvy Participants
Using an on-line survey method, each caregiver will be asked to complete the post-program fidelity monitoring survey that seeks responses to the program (feel more knowledgeable, more competent, better equipped, etc.) and asks them to assess the interventionist's performance and verify that certain key elements of the program were covered.
Intervention: Savvy program (Behavioral)
Interventionists
Three recorded semi-structured video interviews will be conducted with each interventionist. One will occur immediately after training; this will focus on their sense of the completeness and adequacy of the training program, including the training methods, videos, and materials, and their perceived readiness to lead the program. Another interview will be done immediately after the conduct of each of the two Savvy programs they lead, asking them to report on their performance as interventionists, including any adaptation processes in which they might have engaged, and to reflect on ways the training might be improved to strengthen their skills, including for adaptation.
Intervention: Semi-structured video interviews (Behavioral)
Organizational Leaders
Recorded semi-structured video interviews with sponsoring organizations' key contact persons will be conducted immediately after the interventionist training and then after each of the two Savvy offerings. The conversation will focus on identifying ways to strengthen and improve the training, certification, and fidelity monitoring system. Information about time and resource costs of the program, caregiver demand, and caregiver recruitment and feedback will be also collected.
Intervention: Semi-structured video interviews (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) Score
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 6
The CES-D scale is a brief self-report scale designed to measure self-reported symptoms associated with depression experienced in the past week. It includes 20 items comprising six scales reflecting major facets of depression: depressed mood, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, psychomotor retardation, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbance. Response options range from 0 to 3 for each item (0 = Rarely or None of the Time, 1 = Some or Little of the Time, 2 = Moderately or Much of the time, 3 = Most or Almost All the Time). Scores range from 0 to 60, with high scores indicating greater depressive symptoms.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in Anxiety Score(Baseline, Month 6)
- Change in Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) Score(Baseline, Month 6)
- Change in Caregiver Pearlin Mastery Score(Baseline, Month 6)
- Change in Revised Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist Score(Baseline, 6 months)
Investigators
Kenneth Hepburn
Principal Investigator
Emory University