Reducing Burden in Care Partners of Community-Dwelling Persons With Dementia and Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Northwell Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Alzheimer Disease; Oropharyngeal Dysphagia; Caregiver Burden; Dementia

Treatments: Behavioral: WeCareToFeedDysphagia web tool

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06557863

24-0196

R61AG079930 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a newly-created website tool, called WeCareToFeedDysphagia, helps to reduce feelings of burden in care partners of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) who were diagnosed with trouble swallowing (oropharyngeal dysphagia). The main questions this first test (pilot) study aims to answer are:

• With the data this pilot study will collect, how do we best measure how strong a relationship is between care partners who use WeCareToFeedDysphagia and reduced feelings of burden (effect size estimates)?
• Is it possible (feasible) to successfully repeat this study in a larger clinical trial with more research participants?

Researchers will compare a group of care partners who have access to the WeCareToFeedDysphagia tool (intervention) to a group of care partners who do not have access to the tool. Both groups will receive contact information for help from a speech language pathologist expert (enhanced usual care).

Participants will:

• be given access to the web tool and receive 3 text message reminders over 3 weeks to use the tool (intervention group only).
• be asked to complete a remote, web-based survey three times: when enrolled in the study, at 1 month following patient leaving the hospital, and at 3 months following patient leaving the hospital.

Enrollment: 80 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Self identifies as the primary care partner of an older adult patient (patient aged 65 years or older) with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) and oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) admitted to the Northwell Health medicine service
• Care partner age 18 years or older
• Designated as the legally authorized representative (LAR) or health care proxy (HCP), or designated by the LAR or HCP to participate
• Proficient in English
• Has access to a device (e.g. smartphone, iPad, computer) capable of accessing a web browser

Exclusion criteria

• Care partner of patient with a percutaneous feeding tube [i.e. percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube, percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) used exclusively]
• Care partner of patient who will not be discharged to the home or community setting (e.g., home, assisted living, independent living)
• Care partner will not be involved with OD management (e.g. buying or making food, feeding, supervising) after hospital discharge

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

80 participants in 2 patient groups

Enhanced Control + WeCareToFeedDysphagia

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive usual care from their medical team and receive contact information for speech-language pathology follow-up care. Participants will also receive access to the WeCareToFeedDysphagia web tool and receive text message reminders to use the tool.

Treatment:

Behavioral: WeCareToFeedDysphagia web tool

Enhanced Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants receive usual care from their medical team and receive contact information for speech-language pathology follow-up care.