This study aims to develop and evaluate in-home assistive technology that is designed to alleviate anxiety, burden, and loneliness in spousal and familial caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.
This study aims to develop, refine, and evaluate a hardware/software system designed to integrate in-home sensors and devices, social connection, and Internet-of-Things (i.e., devices that can be controlled and communicated with via the internet) technologies to create a more supportive and safe home environment for caregivers and people with dementia. The system monitors troublesome behaviors in people with dementia (e.g., wandering), and targets mechanisms (e.g., worry, social isolation) thought to link behavioral symptoms in people with dementia with adverse caregiver outcomes (declines in health and well-being). The system is designed to minimize demands on caregivers' limited time and energy and to provide a platform for data collection that can be used by researchers and care professionals. Hypotheses: 1. Caregivers in the full operation condition will have fewer negative effects of caregiving (lower burden, higher mental and physical health, higher well-being) than those in the limited home safety condition. 2. Greater use of the social networking features of the system will be associated with fewer caregiver depressive symptoms. 3. Greater utilization of the home safety features of the system will be associated with fewer caregiver anxiety symptoms.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
78
Intelligent bots monitor the in-home sensors, learn typical patterns, and provide caregivers with text messages via cell phone and alerts via the tablet when worrisome behaviors occur. Social contact is encouraged using a trusted circle of friends and family who are encouraged to stay in contact and share photos and videos with the caregiver and person with dementia via the digital display.
Intelligent bot monitors the in-home water leak sensor and provide caregivers with text messages via cell phone and alerts via the tablet when worrisome conditions occur.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, United States
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles, California, United States
Orange County
Orange, California, United States
Clark County
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Zarit Burden Interview-Short Form
Questionnaire to measure caregiver burden (Zarit, Reever, \& Bach-Peterson, 1980). 12 items are rated on 0-4 scale. Range: 0-48. No subscales. Higher scores represent worse outcomes.
Time frame: 9 months after baseline
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)
Questionnaire to measure depression (Radloff, 1977). 20 items are rated on a 0-3 scale and summed (range = 0-60). There are no subscales. Higher scores represent worse outcomes. The clinical cut-off is usually set at a score of 16.
Time frame: 9 months after baseline
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
Questionnaire to measure anxiety (Beck, Epstein, Brown, \& Steer, 1988). 20 items are rated on a 0-3 scale and summed (range= 0-60). Higher scores indicate worse outcomes. There are no subscales. A score greater than 36 is considered to be clinically significant.
Time frame: 9 months after baseline
Satisfaction With Life Scale
Questionnaire measuring overall life satisfaction and well-being (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, \& Griffin, 1985). 5 items scored on a 1-7 scale and summed (Range = 5-35). Lower scores indicate worse outcomes. A score of 20 is considered neutral with higher scores considered increasingly more satisfied and lower scores considered increasingly more dissatisfied.
Time frame: 9 months after baseline
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Oregon
Bend, Oregon, United States