Using Technology to Improve Function for Older Latinos With Disabilities in Underserved Areas

University of Puerto Rico (UPR)

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Aging; Disability Physical

Treatments: Other: Attention calls; Behavioral: Translation: Living the Advantages of Technological Assistance (VIVE-AT)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06425510

2405230330

Details and patient eligibility

About

This project aims to test a culturally appropriate assistive technology (AT) intervention called VIVE-AT to help older Latinos with disabilities improve their function and quality of life. The researchers will first refine the VIVE-AT program based on feedback from a Community Advisory Board and focus groups with older Latinos with disabilities. Then, 76 older Latinos with disabilities will be recruited from a primary care clinic serving low-income communities in Puerto Rico. They will be randomly assigned to either receive the VIVE-AT intervention in the primary care clinic or be placed on a waitlist with regular phone calls. All participants will continue to receive standard care at the clinic.

Full description

Functional disabilities (FDs), defined as difficulties in performing daily activities, constitute a significant public health problem associated with increased dependency, poor health outcomes, diminished quality of life, institutionalization, and premature death. Older Latinos residing in Puerto Rico (PR) are disproportionately affected by FDs, with one of the highest rates of FDs (58%) in the US and its territories. Research has demonstrated positive outcomes from employing assistive technology (AT) devices, such as jar openers, sock aids, and canes, among older adults with FDs, thereby enhancing their functioning, participation, and capacity to remain at home or in the community for a longer period. However, Latinos are among the least likely to utilize AT. Given the dearth of culturally competent assistive technology interventions for Latinos, along with the scarcity of rehabilitation professionals and assistive technology services in primary healthcare facilities, this project leverages preliminary data from a prior study that assessed the feasibility of the Viviendo las Ventajas de la Asistencia Tecnológica; (VIVE-AT for short; Living the Advantages of Assistive Technologies) intervention. The specific aims of this project are to:

1. refine the protocol of the VIVE-AT to align with the unique needs of the primary health care clinic;
2. assess the efficacy of the VIVE-AT in comparison to a waitlist control arm, in decreasing FDs and improving the quality of life among Latinos aged ≥65 years post-intervention and at six months;
3. evaluate whether proposed mechanisms of change in FDs, specifically knowledge of AT, motivation for using AT, self-efficacy for using AT, and use of AT, account for the reduction in FDs post-intervention.

To achieve these aims, the interdisciplinary team of this project will first refine the intervention based on recommendations from participants in the feasibility study, as well as input from the Community Advisory Board and older Latinos with FDs through iterative focus groups (Aim 1). Subsequently, 76 older Latinos with physical FDs recruited from a primary health care facility serving low-income communities in PR will be randomly assigned to either the VIVE-AT intervention group (n=38) or a waitlist + attention calls controlled condition group (n=38) to assess its efficacy and mechanisms of change (Aims 2 and; 3). All participants will receive standard usual care at the primary health care center. Participants in the intervention group will attend a weekly, two-hour group session for 6 weeks, facilitated by trained healthcare workers, focusing on self-management of FDs through AT. Additionally, participants will receive up to five AT devices tailored to their specific functional disabilities needs, along with training on their usage. All participants will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and six months after intervention. The goals of the VIVE-AT are to encourage participants to use AT devices to self-manage their FDs and improve their quality of life. This approach will contribute to scientific knowledge and inform a subsequent scalable multisite Hybrid Type I Randomized Controlled Trial designed to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing physical function disabilities among older Latinos in primary healthcare settings in the U.S. and P.R.

Enrollment: 76 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Spanish speaking Latino adults ≥65 years
• With a physical function impairment (PROMIS-HAQ T-Score ≤45)
• Living independently in the community (not requiring supervision to perform their daily living activities)
• Self-reported ability to participate in a 6 weeks of group intervention
• Having no plans to move for the next 12 months

Exclusion criteria

• Currently residing in a nursing or group home
• Receiving home healthcare services
• Having a significant cognitive impairment as evidenced by a score ≤23 in the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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76 participants in 2 patient groups

(VIVE-AT) - Translation: Living the Advantages of Technological Assistance

Experimental group

Description:

The VIVE-AT program consists of a six-week, once-a-week, 2-hour group educational intervention guided by the social cognitive model. It is facilitated by primary care and community health workers in a primary healthcare clinic. The intervention aims to teach older Latinos self-management strategies to increase the adoption and use of assistive technology devices that enhance their function in daily activities. VIVE-AT is designed to support behavioral change by providing up to five assistive technology devices to participants, along with information, instruction, demonstration, action planning, and guided practice in using the devices.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Translation: Living the Advantages of Technological Assistance (VIVE-AT)

Waitlist Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants in the waitlist control group will receive weekly attention calls providing general health advice during the 6-week intervention period. They will also receive usual care for the initial 6 months post-randomization, followed by crossover to the VIVE-AT intervention.

Treatment:

Other: Attention calls