Delivery Models of Caregiver Support and Education

Background: Existing interventions for informal caregivers (CGs) of care recipients (CRs)
with dementia vary on multiple dimensions (e.g., content, administration time, mode of
delivery), and findings indicate that these programs are effective in improving CG and CR
outcomes. The investigators' team has developed and evaluated two CG programs that are unique
in that they are relatively brief (i.e., 3 months) and rely solely on telephone
administration. The original program, the Telehealth Education Program (TEP), provides CG
support, psychoeducation, and skills training in a group format. The second program adapted
the original TEP to be delivered to individual CGs and includes collaborative care management
services. Key components of this CR/CG-centered program include direct collaboration among
teams of care managers, primary care providers (PCPs), and CGs. The decision to develop an
individually-tailored, collaborative care program was partly in response to the success of
collaborative care models with other patient populations and the fact that the majority of
individuals with dementia receive their healthcare from their PCPs. Nonetheless, an
individually-delivered program lacks the benefits derived from the mutual peer support and
feedback provided by group-based interventions. What remains to be determined, therefore, is
whether modifying the individually-delivered care management program to deliver TEP in a
group format is more effective than the individually-delivered program alone.

Objectives: The objectives of the project include: a) testing the comparative effectiveness
of 2 delivery models (individual TEP + individual care management vs. group TEP + individual
care management) of a telephone-based, collaborative dementia care intervention for CGs, and
b) exploring whether the individual or individual + group intervention is more
effective/acceptable among spousal vs. adult children CGs.

Methods: To meet these objectives, the investigators will use a prospective, randomized
control group, repeated measures (i.e., baseline, 3, 6, and 12 month follow-up) design.
Participants will include 405 CGs (spouses and children 18 years of age and older) of
Veterans diagnosed with dementia and receiving routine clinical care at two VA sites. CGs
will be recruited for participation if they live with and/or provide 4+ hours of care/day.
CGs will be randomly assigned to usual care, the individual intervention, or the individual +
group intervention. The main objectives of both interventions are to facilitate resource
connection and provide education, psychosocial support, and care management for individuals
caring for Veterans with dementia, thereby improving access to and use of non-institutional
services, rates of guideline adherent care, and CG/CR outcomes. In both interventions, CGs
will receive education, continuous support, skills training, and monitoring of Veterans'
medication adherence, symptoms, and service needs. CGs will be asked to complete an
assessment battery of standardized measures of CR- and CG-characteristics. Veterans' clinical
medical records (including cost data) also will be evaluated for screening and clinical data
collection purposes. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) will be the primary method used
to analyze the nested, longitudinal data.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Veteran and CG are 18 years of age or older.

- Veteran is community dwelling.

- Veteran has had at least one PACT encounter at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA
Medical Center (CMCVAMC), VA Western New York Healthcare System (VAWNYHS), or
affiliated community-based outpatient clinics in the past six months at the time that
data is extracted from VINCI for recruitment.

- Veteran meets criteria for dementia that is verified by informant report (AD8, score
of 2 or above).

- CG endorses that Veteran has a diagnosis of dementia.

- CG lives with or provides care for the Veteran for an average of at least 4 hours per
day.

- Veteran's CG is willing and able to provide informed consent.

- CG is either a spouse/partner or adult child.

- CG screens positive for moderate CG burden (per Zarit Burden Interview (4-item) score
of 3 or more).

Exclusion Criteria:

- CG cognitive, hearing, visual, or other physical impairments leading to difficulty
with informed consent process, assessment, or participation in intervention visits.

- CG participation in a pre-existing support group or CG intervention at enrollment
(however CGs can subsequently enroll in any treatment they choose)