WeCareAdvisor: A Web-Based Tool to Improve Quality of Life for Military Veterans With Dementia and Their Caregivers

March 29, 2022 updated by: Frederic C. Blow, University of Michigan
This research will test the WeCareAdvisor tool for family caregivers of military veterans with dementia to help caregivers assess, manage and track behavioral symptoms and their contributing factors (e.g., pain, sleep disturbance), and that provides tailored strategies for in-home, medication-free behavior management. 60 caregiver-person with dementia dyads will be recruited (30 Treatment Group, 30 Wait-List Control Group).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
19

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
        • University of Michigan

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Eligible caregivers must:

  • Be the primary caregiver of a military veteran with dementia for at least 6 months and planning to remain the primary caregiver for the next 2 months
  • Currently living with the person they are caring for (care recipient)
  • Comfortable utilizing technology (e.g. computers, tablets, the internet)
  • Have access to the internet and a computer or tablet device
  • Plans to live in the area for the duration of the study

Care recipients (military veteran living with dementia) must:

  • Exhibit at least one or more behavioral symptoms (any behavior at any frequency)
  • Receiving psychotropic medication or cognitive enhancers will not exclude the care recipient.
  • Have a clinical diagnosis of dementia (any type) per caregiver report.
  • Be a military veteran.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to read, speak or understand English
  • Lack of regular access to a telephone, internet, technology (tablet or computer)
  • Caregiver is unable to use a computer or tablet
  • Person with dementia is not a military veteran

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: WeCareAdvisor
immediate use of the WeCareAdvisor tool for a 1 month period
Behavioral: WeCareAdvisor
Tailored, internet-based software intended to assess, manage and track behavioral symptoms and their contributing factors and to instruct dementia caregivers in problem solving approaches (tailored strategies for in-home, medication-free behavior management) to address difficult or disruptive behaviors exhibited by the person with dementia. During the testing period participants will refer to the WeCareAdvisor when behavioral challenges occur.
Active Comparator: WeCareAdvisor after 1 month
after a wait period of 1 month, use of the WeCareAdvisor tool for a 1 month period
Behavioral: WeCareAdvisor
Tailored, internet-based software intended to assess, manage and track behavioral symptoms and their contributing factors and to instruct dementia caregivers in problem solving approaches (tailored strategies for in-home, medication-free behavior management) to address difficult or disruptive behaviors exhibited by the person with dementia. During the testing period participants will refer to the WeCareAdvisor when behavioral challenges occur.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Caregiver Stress
Time Frame: Baseline to 2 months
As measured by a study specific questionnaire completed by caregivers. Stress is measured on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is equivalent to no stress and 5 is equivalent to extreme stress.
Baseline to 2 months
Change in Caregiver Confidence in Managing Problematic Behavior
Time Frame: Baseline to 2 months
As measured by a study specific questionnaire completed by caregivers. Confidence in managing problematic behavior is measured on a scale of 0 to 10, where a score of 0 means not confident and 10 means extremely confident
Baseline to 2 months
Change in Caregiver Upset
Time Frame: Baseline to 2 months
As measured by a study specific questionnaire completed by caregivers. Upset is measured on a scale of 0 to 5 where 0 is equivalent to no upset and 5 is equivalent to extreme upset (midpoint is equivalent to fairly upset).
Baseline to 2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Caregiver Communication
Time Frame: Baseline to 2 months
Caregivers rate the frequency of using six forms of negative communication (yelling, threatening, criticizing, withdrawing from patient, using harsh tone and screaming), measured on a scale of 1 to 5 where a score of 1 is never and a score of 5 is always.
Baseline to 2 months

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Ease of Use of the WeCareAdvisor Tool
Time Frame: 1 month after using WeCareAdvisor tool
As measured by a study specific questionnaire completed by caregivers. Ease of use of the WeCareAdvisor tool is measured on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 is equivalent to strongly disagree and 7 is equivalent to strongly agree (midpoint is equivalent to neutral).
1 month after using WeCareAdvisor tool
Usefulness/ Perceived Benefit of the WeCareAdvisor Tool
Time Frame: 1 month after using WeCareAdvisor tool
As measured by a study specific questionnaire completed by caregivers. Usefulness/perceived benefit of the WeCareAdvisor tool is measured on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 is equivalent to strongly disagree and 7 is equivalent to strongly agree (midpoint is equivalent to neutral).
1 month after using WeCareAdvisor tool

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Michigan

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
United States Department of Defense

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 19, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 21, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 21, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 7, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 7, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 31, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 29, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HUM00117707
  • W81XWH-16-1-0551 (Other Grant/Funding Number: United States Department of Defense)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings