Alzheimer's Caregiver Communication Study

November 24, 2009 updated by: National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Alzheimer's Caregiver Ratings of Communication & Coping Behavior

The point of this research is to improve the communicative relationship between the caregiver and care receiver. It is input from the caregiver on these communicative behaviors that will inform the process of understanding how to reduce the caregiver burden that comes from this communicative relationship.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

This research study is developing a new checklist to measure communicative coping behaviors of persons with Alzheimer's Disease in the home environment. The Communicative Coping Behavior Checklist (CCBC) is an observation checklist to be completed by the caregiver or knowledgeable informant. The current version includes 23 behaviors to be rated for frequency and effectiveness. The behaviors that will be observed cover management of memory loss within three broad categories: humor, explanations, and general coping behaviors.

Two kinds of couples will participate in this study. One includes a person with Alzheimer's Disease and their caregiver. The second includes a cognitively intact participant and study partner, both over the age of 60, to serve as controls.

Study Visit 1 (3 hours long) During the first visit, the person with Alzheimer's Disease/control participant can expect to be asked questions about their memory, thinking and concentration, demographics, quality of life, and mood. The caregiver/study partner will be asked about their quality of life, mood, and daily activities.

At the end of the visit the caregiver/study partner will be given a copy of the CCBC and asked to take it home. S/he will be instructed to rate the person with Alzheimer's Disease/ control participant's communicative coping behavior over the course of the next two weeks. At the end of that time, a research assistant will call the caregiver/study partner and administer the CCBC over the telephone.

Study Visit 2 (3 hours long) The second visit will occur in the clinic approximately 12 months from the date of the first visit. As with the first study visit, again both the person with Alzheimer's Disease/control participant and the caregiver/study partner will answer questions about their memory, quality of life, mood, and daily activities. Once again, the caregiver/study partner will be given a copy of the CCBC and asked to take it home and complete.

Both visits will take about three hours for the caregiver/study partner and about two hours for the person with dementia or control subject.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Anticipated)

140

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
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 22057
        • Georgetown University Medical Center

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

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

*Note* Currently enrolling participants for control group only

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Couples including spouse or family member who spend at least 2-3 hours per day together
  • Both must be cognitively intact

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cognitive impairment

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Pamela Saunders, PhD, Georgetown University

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

October 1, 2004

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 13, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 16, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 25, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 24, 2009

Last Verified

November 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IA0082
  • 1R03AG022627 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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.

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