Supporting Family Caregivers With Technology for Dementia Home Care



Status:Completed
Conditions:Neurology
Therapuetic Areas:Neurology
Healthy:No
Age Range:18 - Any
Updated:3/7/2019
Start Date:March 2014
End Date:January 31, 2019

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This clinical trial will test the FamTechCare intervention that uses multidisciplinary
professional guidance based on in-home video monitoring to support family caregivers in
managing challenging behaviors of persons with dementia (PWD). Families provide the majority
of care for PWD at home. However the stress of caregiving is so significant that it increases
caregiver morbidity and mortality. Stress is magnified by disruptive behaviors in PWD that
frequently lead to nursing home placement. In-home video monitoring allows experts to assess
behaviors of PWD and to identify antecedents, recommend specific interventions. FamTechCare
uses new technology to link family caregivers to experts for guidance in managing disruptive
behaviors, supporting continued care at home while reducing the negative effects of
caregiving.

Caregiver-PWD dyads (N=88) will be randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Both
groups will record behaviors during daily care for 3 months using a home monitoring unit.
Notably, this new technology captures 3-5 minutes prior to the behavior, thus recording
behavior triggers and precursors. Caregivers record care situations they select and upload
videos to a secure site. The expert team will review intervention group videos weekly and
will provide individualized feedback for improving care to caregivers in the home. The
control group caregivers will receive a weekly phone call and advice from a nurse, but their
recorded videos will be held for review and individualized feedback provided after 3 months.

Study aims are to use observation to assist caregivers in behavior management. Effects on
disruptive behaviors and caregiver burden and other negative outcomes will be compared.
Investigators will evaluate ease of use and satisfaction, cost-efficiency, and factors
influencing likelihood of translation into practice. This is the first study to test new
technology for direct observation and immediate feedback to empower families to manage PWD
behaviors at home while reducing caregiver stress and morbidity. Technology links caregivers
to individualized expert guidance, acknowledging the importance and burden of their role.
This study addresses NIH missions and the 2012 National Plan to Address Alzheimer's disease
goals, integrating strategies to promote adoption and use of aging services technologies in
interventions that will reduce negative caregiver outcomes, a growing public health problem.

This clinical trial will test the FamTechCare intervention that uses multidisciplinary
professional guidance based on in-home video monitoring to support family caregivers in
managing behaviors of persons with dementia (PWD). Families provide the majority of care for
PWD at home. However the stress of caregiving is so significant that it increases caregiver
morbidity and mortality. Stress is magnified by disruptive behaviors that frequently lead to
nursing home placement. In-home video monitoring allows experts to assess behaviors of PWD
and to identify antecedents, recommend specific interventions, and subsequently evaluate
caregiver outcomes. FamTechCare uses new technology to link family caregivers to experts for
guidance in managing disruptive behaviors, supporting continued care at home while reducing
the negative effects of caregiving.

Caregiver-PWD dyads (N=88) will be randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Both
groups will record behaviors during daily care for 3 months using a home monitoring unit.
Notably, this new technology captures 3-5 minutes prior to the behavior, thus recording
behavior triggers and precursors. Intervention group videos will be auto-uploaded to a Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) secure Internet site for weekly team
review with in-home feedback to caregivers in behavior management. The time and attention
equivalent control group will receive a weekly phone call from a nurse, but their recorded
videos will be held for review and feedback after 3 months.

Study aims are to identify interventions, based on in-home observations, to assist caregivers
in behavior management. Between-group effects on outcomes, including PWD disruptive behaviors
and caregiver burden and other negative outcomes will be compared using linear mixed
modeling. Ease of use and satisfaction, cost-efficiency, and factors influencing likelihood
of translation into practice will be evaluated. This tests new technology for direct
observation and immediate feedback to empower families to manage PWD behaviors at home while
reducing caregiver stress and morbidity. Technology links caregivers to individualized expert
guidance, acknowledging the importance and burden of their role. This study addresses NIH
missions and the 2012 National Plan to Address Alzheimer's disease goals, integrating
strategies to promote adoption and use of aging services technologies in interventions that
will reduce negative caregiver outcomes, a growing public health problem.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Person caring for someone with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia at
home.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Exclusion criteria include Huntington's disease, alcohol-related dementia,
schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder, deafness, and mental retardation.
We found this trial at
2
sites
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Phone: 319-335-3488
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3901 Rainbow Blvd
Kansas City, Kansas 66160
(913) 588-5000
University of Kansas Medical Center The University of Kansas Medical Center serves Kansas through excellence...
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