A Home-based Training Program for Elderly Patients With Dementia

Chang Gung Medical Foundation

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dementia

Treatments: Other: A home-based caregiver-training program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02667951

NSC 97-2420-H-182-002-MY3

Details and patient eligibility

About

The illness course and symptoms of dementia is usually very long and characterized with behavioral, psychological and physical changes. Family caregivers' stresses change during the illness trajectory as well. The purpose of this study is to compare the costs and effectiveness of two care models- home-based caregiver-training program model and routine care model for dementia elders in Taiwan.

Full description

The illness course and symptoms of dementia is usually very long and characterized with behavioral, psychological and physical changes. Family caregivers' stresses change during the illness trajectory as well. Thus, the needs of the elderly persons with dementia and their family caregivers differ in different stage of dementia, and the services they require are multidimensional. According to the researchers' previous 2-year study, behavioral problem management and service utilization were found to be the most difficult and least prepared caregiving activities and the family caregiver's needs for assistance of these two caregiving activities differed in different stage of dementia.The purpose of this study is to compare the costs and effectiveness of two care models- home-based caregiver-training program model and routine care model for dementia elders in Taiwan.

Enrollment: 129 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:(patients)

• diagnosed with dementia by a psychiatrist or neurologist
• Age 65 years or older
• living in a community of northern Taiwan
• living in a home setting
• scored >50 on the Chinese version Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI).

Exclusion Criteria:(patients)

• diagnosed with critical illness.

Inclusion Criteria:(caregivers)

• Primary caregiving responsibility and be at least 20 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:(caregivers)

• diagnosed with critical illness.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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129 participants in 2 patient groups

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Caregivers received general information on dementia care and follow-up phone calls simply to maintain contact, but without any training for developing a behavioral problem-management plan and strategies.

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Caregivers received solutions for managing behavioral problems, with referrals to community services and telephone consultation, further assurance and consultation were provided in monthly telephone follow-ups, and progress in behavior management was evaluated.

Treatment:

Other: A home-based caregiver-training program