PRIMA Intervention for Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Caregivers

NCT ID: NCT04515875

Last Updated: 2025-07-31

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

420 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-12-13

Study Completion Date

2025-07-20

Brief Summary

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The investigators developed and tested the Daily Engagement in Meaningful Activities (DEMA) intervention to improve life satisfaction and health outcomes for patients and caregivers. DEMA is a positive health focused, theoretically grounded, tailored, family-centered, multi-faceted intervention. Over 7 session, dyads work with a nurse to 1) identify meaningful activities, assess capacity, problem-solve barriers, and establish routines for engagement and 2) learn more about MCI by working through six Self-Management Toolkit topics (e.g., benefits of meaningful activity; planning the future). The investigators' purpose is to evaluate the efficacy of DEMA in a two-group randomized controlled trial with 200 patient/caregiver dyads (DEMA intervention vs. the information support (IS) attention control group).

Detailed Description

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Approximately 20% of Americans over 65 have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), defined as experiencing more memory problems than normally expected with aging, but no other symptoms of dementia such as impaired judgment or reasoning. Persons with MCI (patients) are at great risk for developing dementia (10-33% per year). Memory problem (poor executive function) diminish the patient's confidence and ability to perform meaningful and/or important activities (e.g. socialization, medication management).

Deteriorating life satisfaction in patients and care partners (caregivers) is a prevalent problem due to diminished meaningful activity engagement which occurs as a result of patient frustration and embarrassment, lack of self-efficacy (confidence), and diminishing activity performance. As a result, patients experience additional negative health outcomes: 38% report depressive symptoms and anxiety. Caregivers often lack confidence to manage their own and the patient's daily challenges and meaningful activity engagement, leading to high caregiver burden, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. As a dyad, both patients and caregivers report diminished satisfaction within their communication and relationship due to disagreement about the patient's functional ability to effectively and safely perform meaningful activities.

Emerging evidence indicates regular engagement in social, physical or cognitive activities can improve life satisfaction, activity performance, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and dyad communication; health outcomes are even better when the activities are self-selected and meaningful. To promote patients' and caregivers' life satisfaction and health outcomes, interventions to maximize patients' capacity for full engagement in meaningful activities are essential; yet, there is a marked absence of such empirically validated interventions.

The investigators developed and tested the Daily Engagement in Meaningful Activities (DEMA) intervention to improve life satisfaction and health outcomes for patients and caregivers. DEMA is a positive health focused, theoretically grounded, tailored, family-centered, multi-faceted intervention. Over 7 session, dyads work with a nurse to 1) identify meaningful activities, assess capacity, problem-solve barriers, and establish routines for engagement and 2) learn more about MCI by working through six Self-Management Toolkit topics (e.g., benefits of meaningful activity; planning the future).

The investigators' purpose is to evaluate the efficacy of DEMA in a two-group randomized controlled trial with 200 patient/caregiver dyads (DEMA intervention vs. the information support (IS) attention control group).

Aim 1 (Primary Objective): Test DEMA's efficacy for improving life satisfaction in patients and their caregivers over time.

Aim 2 (Secondary Objective): Over time, evaluate DEMA's efficacy for patient and caregiver to:

1. increase patient activity performance and diminish depressive symptoms and anxiety.

Hypothesis 2.1: Compared to the IS group, patients receiving DEMA will have improved activity performance and decreased depressive symptoms and anxiety.
2. decrease caregivers burden, depressive symptoms, and anxiety . Hypothesis 2.2: Compared to the IS group, caregivers receiving DEMA will have decreased burden, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.

Aim 3: Explore improvement in health outcomes over time in the sub-sample of patients with depressive symptoms using the (PHQ)-9 ≥ 5 at baseline) and explore the burden on caregivers when patients have PHQ-9 is \>5. Compared to the non-depressed participants:

Hypothesis 3.1. Patients with depressive symptoms (scores \> 5 on PHQ-9 measured at baseline) will have improved activity performance.

Hypothesis 3.2 Caregivers of patients with depressed symptoms (scores \> 5 on PHQ-9 measured at baseline) will report reduced burden.

Hypotheses 3.3. Patients with depressive symptoms (scores \> 5 on PHQ-9 measured at baseline) and their caregivers randomized to DEMA will report improved: confidence to manage daily challenges, communication satisfaction, life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, decreased depressive symptoms and anxiety.

Conditions

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Mild Cognitive Impairment

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

The study conceptual framework is based on: 1) pilot work, 2) the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance that describes how individuals are motivated, adjust to psychosocial context and cognitive decline, and choose to participate in essential and meaningful daily activities; 3) problem-solving therapy principles. These frameworks, commonly applied to health problems in older populations, provide a systematic structure to improve task initiation and completion in adults with depression or executive dysfunction.
Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors
Following consent, the project manager will arrange a time convenient for patient-caregiver dyads to separately complete the baseline (T1) measures by phone. A data collector, blinded to randomization status, will administer all measures at all time points via phone interviews in a quiet, private setting and be available for questions following data collection. Immediately following completion of the T1 measures; and enter patient scores on the PHQ-9 depression scale directly to the database. A web-based computer-generated stratified randomization scheme will be used to assign the patient-caregiver dyads to DEMA or the information support group in 1:1 ratio using a block-randomized approach stratified on a depression score PHQ-9 ≤ 4 vs. PHQ-9 ≥ 5 or higher will be used to determine the randomization scheme. The Project Manager will immediately schedule Session 1. Only the statistician, PI, project manager, and the intervener will know the patient-caregiver dyad's randomization status.

Study Groups

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Daily Engagement Meaningful Activity (DEMA)

This group will receive 7 individualized sessions, 1 face-to-face session at week 1 and via 6 bi weekly telephone sessions delivered by a trained intervener. DEMA will use the principles of problem-solving therapy and consistent with the overall goals of this intervention; and will provide autonomy support, classify needs and goals, generalize manageable solutions, engage in self-selected activities under family support, and self-evaluate failure and success or renew problem-solving as needed. Each session consists: 1) MCI dyads are guided to use the principles of problem-solving therapy to review their personalized, self-selected meaningful activities and plan next steps to continue the activity, identify and establish a plan for additional activities; and 2) the intervener and dyad discuss one of the 6 topics in the Toolkit such as introducing of the intervention and meaningful activity concepts, understanding MCI, its treatments, management, resources, and planning for the future.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Daily Engagement Meaningful Activity (DEMA)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

This group will receive 7 individualized sessions, 1 face-to-face session at week 1 and via 6 bi weekly telephone sessions delivered by a trained intervener. DEMA will use the principles of problem-solving therapy and consistent with the overall goals of this intervention; and will provide autonomy support, classify needs and goals, generalize manageable solutions, engage in self-selected activities under family support, and self-evaluate failure and success or renew problem-solving as needed. Each session consists: 1) MCI dyads are guided to use the principles of problem-solving therapy to review their personalized, self-selected meaningful activities and plan next steps to continue the activity, identify and establish a plan for additional activities; and 2) the intervener and dyad discuss one of the 6 topics in the Toolkit such as introducing of the intervention and meaningful activity concepts, understanding MCI, its treatments, management, resources, and planning for the future.

Information Support (IS)

This group will attend 1 face-to-face meetings to receive an overview of what will happen in the study and an initial Alzheimer disease educational brochure from the Alzheimer's Association (AA). The face-to-face sessions will take place at the IADC Clinical Core clinic, Indiana University Center of Excellence of Women's Health clinic, or Indiana School of Nursing conference room that based on patient-caregiver dyad's preference. Then they will receive 6 bi weekly follow-up phone calls and have the opportunity to ask only questions related to the educational materials. After completing Time 4 data collection, the patient-caregiver dyads will receive DEMA Self-Management Tool kit package through mail.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Information Support (IS)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

This group will attend 1 face-to-face meetings to receive an overview of what will happen in the study and an initial Alzheimer disease educational brochure from the Alzheimer's Association (AA). The face-to-face sessions will take place at the IADC Clinical Core clinic, Indiana University Center of Excellence of Women's Health clinic, or Indiana School of Nursing conference room that based on patient-caregiver dyad's preference. Then they will receive 6 bi weekly follow-up phone calls and have the opportunity to ask only questions related to the educational materials. After completing Time 4 data collection, the patient-caregiver dyads will receive DEMA Self-Management Tool kit package through mail.

Interventions

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Daily Engagement Meaningful Activity (DEMA)

This group will receive 7 individualized sessions, 1 face-to-face session at week 1 and via 6 bi weekly telephone sessions delivered by a trained intervener. DEMA will use the principles of problem-solving therapy and consistent with the overall goals of this intervention; and will provide autonomy support, classify needs and goals, generalize manageable solutions, engage in self-selected activities under family support, and self-evaluate failure and success or renew problem-solving as needed. Each session consists: 1) MCI dyads are guided to use the principles of problem-solving therapy to review their personalized, self-selected meaningful activities and plan next steps to continue the activity, identify and establish a plan for additional activities; and 2) the intervener and dyad discuss one of the 6 topics in the Toolkit such as introducing of the intervention and meaningful activity concepts, understanding MCI, its treatments, management, resources, and planning for the future.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Information Support (IS)

This group will attend 1 face-to-face meetings to receive an overview of what will happen in the study and an initial Alzheimer disease educational brochure from the Alzheimer's Association (AA). The face-to-face sessions will take place at the IADC Clinical Core clinic, Indiana University Center of Excellence of Women's Health clinic, or Indiana School of Nursing conference room that based on patient-caregiver dyad's preference. Then they will receive 6 bi weekly follow-up phone calls and have the opportunity to ask only questions related to the educational materials. After completing Time 4 data collection, the patient-caregiver dyads will receive DEMA Self-Management Tool kit package through mail.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Both the MCI patient and caregiver must consent to participate and have a phone at home or daily access to a telephone to be eligible for the study.

MCI patients will be eligible, if they:

* are aged \> 59 years old;
* able to speak and read English;
* have both self or informant reported cognitive complaints,
* have MoCA score = 15 to 25
* are in the normal range in performance of daily living tasks based on functional impairment absent: a check box of Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) has no score ≥2);

Family caregivers (spouse, other family members or friends) will be eligible, if they

* self-identify as care partner
* are aged ≥ 18 years old,
* have primary responsibility for providing unpaid care to an MCI patient, along with monitoring safety and providing social support;
* are able to speak and read English;
* are oriented to persons, places, and time (having a 6-item Screener score of 4 or above).

Exclusion Criteria

* MCI patients and family caregivers will be excluded, if the MCI patient or family caregiver dyads participants are:

* a diagnosed untreated severe major depression, or receiving advanced cancer treatment or hospice care,
* receiving dialysis,
* severe hearing loss and no hearing aids,
* have no access to a telephone
* the family caregiver has significant cognitive impairment that may hinder participation (6-item MMSE \< 4).
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

100 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Indiana University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Yvonne Lu

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Yvonne Y Lu, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Indiana University School of Medicine

Locations

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Indiana University Alzhemier Disease Research Center

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Provided Documents

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Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

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1R01NR018162-01A1

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

IUPREMA0822

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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