EPIC: An Intervention for Early-stage AD Dyads - Adapted for Virtual Delivery

Arizona State University272 enrolled

Overview

EPIC II (Early-Stage Partners in Care) is a research project designed to assist people with early-stage memory loss and their care partners by providing early-stage related education and skill-training sessions, held via Zoom, designed to reduce stress, enhance well-being, manage challenges, and plan for the future. Researchers will gather feedback from individuals about their experience to continue to improve programs for early-stage memory loss.

The purpose of this study is to help early-stage individuals who have early-stage memory loss or early stage dementia and their current or future care partners by providing education and skill-training programs, held via Zoom, designed to reduce stress and distress, increase well-being and quality of life, and plan for the future. About 160 early-stage dyads (person with early-stage dementia and his/her care partner) will be enrolled across the United States through Arizona State University. People who decide to voluntarily participate in this program, will be asked to: * Meet others with memory loss and their care partners. * Attend six group sessions via Zoom (2 hours \& 30 minutes each) to learn strategies to help handle new situations, reduce stress, improve mood, communicate better with each other, and plan for the future. * Participate in one 90-minute individualized session via Zoom to address specific issues that may be unique to each dyad's situation. * Participate in three 2-hour confidential interviews that involve questions about background, mood, and quality of life. * Participate in interviews at the start, and again about 3 and 6 months, via Zoom, to help us to continue to improve the program. * Attend several monthly booster sessions after completion of the seven EPIC sessions. Each person will receive up to $45 for completing all follow-up interviews, or $20- 25 for each interview completed. All participants are offered the EPIC sessions shortly after their first interview or shortly after their 3-month interview. Some participants will also attend an additional free education workshop within one month of the initial assessment.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

Conditions

Dementia Alzheimer Disease Memory Loss

Interventions

psychoeducational skills training interventionBEHAVIORAL

This protocol is a minimal risk care values clarification /care planning and psychoeducational skills training intervention, delivered as a workshop series plus one in-home session for people in the early stages of memory loss and their care partner together.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

DYAD INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. All participants - Care Partners (CP) and Early-Stage People (EP) - will be at least 18 years of age and speak, read, and write English or Spanish. 2. Eligible dyad relationships include spouse, adult-child relationships (e.g., daughters), and other close friends and family members. 3. Care partners must self-identify as the person who currently has or who expects to have the most hands-on responsibility and ongoing involvement with the EP. 4. CPs must live with or have regular contact with the EP. 5. EPs and CPs must reside in a community setting. EP INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Live at home rather than an institutional setting, 2. Have a confirmed diagnosis of OR symptoms consistent with early-stage dementia 3. Exhibit changes in memory as specified on the AD8 dementia screening tool. 4. Have a Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)i score within a protocol-specified range. 5. Have a CP who is defined by the EP as being the unpaid "family member" who has or will have primary responsibility for providing assistance to the EP EP EXCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Denying or not reporting any trouble with memory, based on self-report 2. Normal cognition, based on score derived from screening tool 3. If yes to BOTH: 1. severe mental illness or developmental disability before the age of 45 2. memory problems due to past head injury

Locations (1)

Nationwide Program Locations (Based at ASU Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation)

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

EP and CP Emotional well-being

Examine the efficacy of the EPIC intervention as compared with a Wait List Comparison condition by looking at the change over time in the Positive and Negative Affect Scales (Dementia Quality of Life Instrument).