This study aims to develop, evaluate, and commercialize an in-home supportive technology that is designed to alleviate anxiety, burden, and loneliness in spousal and familial caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, or mild cognitive impairment in rural homes.
This study aims to develop, refine, evaluate, and commercialize a hardware/software system designed to integrate in-home sensors and devices, Internet-of-Things technologies (i.e., devices that can be controlled and communicated with via the internet), and social networking to create a more safe and supportive home environment for caregivers and people who have Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, or mild cognitive impairment. The system monitors troublesome behaviors in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (e.g., wandering), and targets mechanisms (e.g., worry, social isolation) thought to link behavioral symptoms in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment 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. Rural caregivers in the active treatment condition will have better health and well-being (i.e., less caregiver depression, anxiety, loneliness, and burden) and higher user satisfaction compared to those in the control condition. 2. The magnitude of the difference in health and well-being and user satisfaction for rural caregivers in the active treatment condition compared to those in the control condition will increase over time (reflecting additional bot learning and ability to adjust to changing caregiver needs). 3. In the active treatment condition, greater utilization of features (e.g., selecting and receiving warnings, obtaining daily reports, accessing social support services) will be associated with better caregiver health and well-being and higher user satisfaction.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
15
Intelligent bots monitor the in-home sensors, learn typical patterns, and provide caregivers with text messages and alerts via cell phone when worrisome behaviors occur. Caregivers are able to: (a) select services (e.g., warnings for falls, wandering, late night activity); (b) access daily reports (summaries of daily activities that can also be shared with health care providers); and (c) obtain support (e.g. Caregiver Support Groups that connect caregivers with knowledgeable experts and other caregivers, Caregiver Events that provide virtual meetings about relevant topics, and Trusted Circle task management to distribute the caregiving work load).
Intelligent bots monitor the in-home water leak sensor and provide caregivers with text messages and alerts via cell phone when worrisome conditions occur.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, United States
3 Months Assessment for 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: 3 months after baseline
6 Months Assessment for 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: 6 months after baseline
3 Months Assessment for 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: 3 months after baseline
6 Months Assessment for 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: 6 months after baseline
3 Months Assessment for 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: 3 months after baseline
6 Months Assessment for 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.
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Time frame: 6 months after baseline
3 Months Assessment for 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: 3 months after baseline
6 Months Assessment for 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: 6 months after baseline