The Senior Companion Program Plus

NCT ID: NCT03602391

Last Updated: 2024-10-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-05-16
• Study Completion Date: 2023-06-30

Brief Summary

Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) is one of the most challenging chronic health conditions in the United States and considerable disparities exist in the diagnosis and prevalence of ADRD among communities of color. Research suggests that ADRD caregiver interventions have demonstrated efficacy, however, it remains unknown whether existing ADRD caregiver interventions are useful or accessible to African American ADRD caregivers in community settings.

The primary goal of the proposed project is to develop an in-home psychoeducational intervention (The Senior Companion Program Plus, or SCP Plus) that is accessible, sustainable, and affordable for African American ADRD caregivers. The SCP Plus will focus on African American ADRD caregivers who are particularly affected by poverty, discrimination, and barriers to health care services and supports. A recent pilot study has established the feasibility and utility of SCP Plus. With the assistance of 6 student research assistants over the course of the project, we will implement the SCP Plus at sites in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, recruiting approximately 114 participants. The participants will be randomized with 57 caregivers receiving the SCP Plus and 57 caregivers receiving services as usual with the Senior Companion Program. A weekly, 60 minute psychoeducational module will be delivered face-to-face across 9 weeks and will focus on education about ADRD, behavior management, communication skills, and aspects of providing care that enhance meaning such as spirituality. In order to provide an accessible and cost effective intervention that is potentially sustainable, senior companions will be trained to provide the intervention in the homes of the African American ADRD caregivers.

Specific Aim 1. Determine whether SCP Plus reduces level of burden and stress among African American caregivers over a 3- and 6-month period when compared to a usual care control group.

Specific Aim 2. Ascertain if SCP Plus improves coping skills among African American caregivers over a 3- and 6-month period when compared to a usual care control group.

Specific Aim 3. Examine whether SCP Plus improves the level of satisfaction with support social among African American caregivers over a 3- and 6- month period when compared to a usual care control group.

Specific Aim 4. Explore and interpret the statistical results obtained in the first quantitative phase to help explain why participants who scored in the lower and upper quartiles on caregiver burden/stress were impacted or not by the usefulness of the intervention.

Successful design, delivery, and evaluation of the SCP Plus will lead to a cost effective, sustainable, and accessible intervention that can be implemented in other Senior Companion programs across the country, thus maximizing its impact as a community-based program to address the needs of African American ADRD caregivers.

Conditions

Family; Alzheimer Dementia

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

SCP Plus

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

SCP Plus

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The primary goal of the proposed project is to develop an in-home psychoeducational intervention (Senior Companion Program Plus, or SCP Plus) that is accessible, affordable, and sustainable for low-income African American ADRD caregivers. A weekly, 60 minute psychoeducational module will be delivered face-to-face across 9 weeks and will focus on education about ADRD, behavior management, communication skills, and aspects of providing care that enhance meaning such as spirituality. In order to provide an accessible intervention that is potentially sustainable, Senior Companions will be trained to provide the intervention in the homes of the African American ADRD caregivers.

Services as usual

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

SCP Plus

The primary goal of the proposed project is to develop an in-home psychoeducational intervention (Senior Companion Program Plus, or SCP Plus) that is accessible, affordable, and sustainable for low-income African American ADRD caregivers. A weekly, 60 minute psychoeducational module will be delivered face-to-face across 9 weeks and will focus on education about ADRD, behavior management, communication skills, and aspects of providing care that enhance meaning such as spirituality. In order to provide an accessible intervention that is potentially sustainable, Senior Companions will be trained to provide the intervention in the homes of the African American ADRD caregivers.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

A. Senior Companions have to be currently participating in the Senior Companions Program B. Senior Companions have to be currently providing respite services to the caregivers C. Family caregivers must self-identify as African American D. Family caregivers must be at least 21 years of age E. Family caregivers must provide unpaid care for an older adult with ADRD F. The persons with ADRD must have a physician diagnosis of ADRD and live at home in the community.

G. The capacity for and willingness to provide written informed consent, to accept the randomized group assignment, to attend all study related visits, and to comply with the study protocol.

Exclusion Criteria

A. Family caregivers who are involved in another caregiver psychosocial intervention study or have an acute illness that would prevent them from participating for at least 6 months will not be eligible.

B. Self-identified non-African American caregivers will be excluded from enrollment in the study, because of the specificity of the cultural components of the Senior Companion Program Plus being tested.

C. Senior Companions who are not serving a client with ADRD from African American backgrounds will be excluded as the Senior Companion Program Plus is designed for dementia family caregivers.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

The University of Texas at Arlington

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Noelle Fields

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

The Senior Source

Dallas, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

References

Fields NL, Xu L, Williams IC, Gaugler JE, Cipher DJ. The Senior Companion Program Plus for African American Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Jul 24;12:e49679. doi: 10.2196/49679.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 37486759 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

2017-0431

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id