Skills training for the care of dementia patients in Dementia and Alzheimer Disease - Clinical Trials Registry

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Behavioral: Skills training for the care of dementia patients

Detailed Description

Assisted living is rapidly becoming one of the most common methods of caring for older adults with dementia in long-term care. Over half of assisted living residents have dementia and many exhibit affective and behavioral problems related to the condition; residents' care and quality of life may suffer as a result of these problems. Despite the seriousness of this condition, interventions to teach direct care staff how to care for these residents are limited. This study will develop a program for teaching assisted living staff how to deal with the issues of patients with dementia and reduce mood and behavioral problems among this population.

Caregivers will be randomly assigned to attend skills training sessions as two 4-hour workshops, four 30 minute individual training sessions, or two 30 minute in-services. Training will focus on dementia, depression and anxiety, the incidence of behavior problems, and skills and techniques for alleviating care challenges associated with behavior problems. Caregivers will complete self-report scales and questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the study; these measures will assess job satisfaction, reactions to resident behavioral problems, and job skills. Residents will also be recruited for this study; they will complete questionnaires about their depressive episodes, anxiety, behavioral problems, and quality of life at the beginning and at the end of the study.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

90

Phase

Phase 2
Phase 3

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
- Arkansas
  - Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205
    - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- Illinois
  - Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
    - Rush University School of Nursing

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

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Assisted Living Staff

Work in the assisted living residence for at least 6 months prior to study entry
Work in the assisted living residence at least 5 days a week, for at least 4 hours a day on day or afternoon-evening shifts
Provide direct care for at least 1 assisted living resident
Agree to attend all training sessions and complete assessment forms
Able to speak, read, and understand English at a 6th grade level

Inclusion Criteria for Assisted Living Residents:

Diagnosis of dementia
Identified by caregiving staff as having mood or behavioral problems
Have lived at the assisted living residence for at least 3 months prior to study entry
Have a family member with power of attorney

Exclusion Criteria for Assisted Living Residents:

Plan to receive medication for affective or behavioral problems during the study
History of alcohol or drug abuse
Have attempted suicide within 1 year prior to study entry

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

Allocation: Randomized
Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Skills to effectively deal with resident behavioral problems

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Resident depression, anxiety, behavioral problems, and quality of life

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Washington

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

Principal Investigator: Linda Teri, PhD, University of Washington

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

January 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2006

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 16, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria