Treatment Trials

80 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions

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A Study That Collects Participant Data and Biospecimens to Analyze Pathogenic Exosomes That Mediate Increased Vascular Dementia Risk in Individuals with Herpes Zoster.
Description

The purpose of this observational research study is to study if patients with herpes zoster, also known as Shingles, have a higher risk of vascular dysfunction (problems with blood vessels, including stroke) and vascular dementia (problems with mental decline as a result of decreased blood flow to the brain) compared to patients without herpes zoster. Patients are evaluated based on the group they are assigned too: 1. Herpes Zoster (HZ) Group: individuals presenting with untreated herpes zoster. These participants will have 6 visits: * Day 1 = 1st day presenting to clinic with acute zoster * 7 days post zoster * 1 month after Day 1 * 3 months after Day 1 * 6 months after Day 1 * 12 months after Day 1 2. Control Group: individuals without herpes zoster o Day 1 (only 1 visit will be completed) This study does not have a study medication/device. Standard of care for all patients will be followed.

Conditions

Herpes Zoster (HZ), Vascular Dementia

Home Tele Rehabilitation Therapy for Vascular Dementia
Description

To determine whether the home telerehabilitation therapy is feasible and lessens caregiver burden in chronic stroke patients with and without vascular dementia (VaD)

Conditions

Dementia, Vascular, Stroke Sequelae

Managing Vascular Dementia Risk Factors With SymTrend
Description

Individuals with uncontrolled vascular disease are at risk for an insidious progression of brain injury starting in early to midlife and ultimately culminating in a vascular dementia, robbing them of activities of daily living independence. Successful containment of this progression requires rigorous vascular risk factor management - the control of blood pressure, blood sugars, weight, and alcohol consumption; the cessation of smoking, and an increase in aerobic activity. SymTrend's mobile and web system for managing vascular risk factors will help improve adherence to health and lifestyle strategies, will stem cognitive decline, and will preserve independence in the community for older adults.

Conditions

Vascular Dementia

A Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of BAC in Patient With Alzheimer's Disease or Vascular Dementia
Description

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Vehicle-Controlled, Parallel, Phase II Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of BAC in Patient with Alzheimer's Disease or Vascular Dementia

Conditions

Alzheimer's Disease or Vascular Dementia

Aricept to Improve Functional Tasks in Vascular Dementia
Description

Medications for memory improvement are available but they may not actually improve the ability to do real world tasks. The purpose of this research study is to determine if a medicine used to treat memory problems donepezil(Aricept) enhances the ability to remember steps of functional tasks and the actual ability to perform tasks relevant to real-life independence. Aricept is an FDA approved medication for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Aricept is an investigational drug for the purposes of this study, and is not approved for this purpose.

Conditions

Stroke, Vascular Dementia, Memory Deficits

Efficacy and Safety of Rivastigmine Capsules in Patients With Probable Vascular Dementia
Description

The goal of this research study is to evaluate the effectiveness, tolerability and safety of rivastigmine capsules in males and females between the ages of 50 and 85 years old with probable vascular dementia.

Conditions

Vascular Dementia

LEAD IT! An App to Enable Persons With Early Stage Dementia to Lead Group Activities for Their Peers
Description

The proposed Phase 2 project will involve the further development and evaluation of LEAD IT!, which is a tablet-based app designed to enable persons with dementia to lead activities for their peers (i.e., other persons with dementia). The study will examine the clinical outcomes of long-term use of the app by both Resident Leaders (RLs) and Resident Players (RPs). The Specific Aims of the proposed Phase 2 project are to: 1. Develop improved Beta 1 and Beta 2 Versions of LEAD IT! with sufficient content to facilitate six activities twice per week for 4.5 months. 2. Examine the extent to which RLs are able to serve as leaders while using LEAD IT! 3. Examine the effects of resident-led LEAD IT! programming on RPs. 4. Examine PWD and staff satisfaction with LEAD IT!

Conditions

Dementia, Vascular, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Mixed

Accurate WiFi-Based Localization of Dementia Patients For Caregiver Support:
Description

In this Phase II SBIR project we will enhance a wireless WiFi-based insole that was designed and successfully tested during a Phase I trial with elderly persons with dementia and their caregivers, and then investigate its efficacy in terms of caregiver activity, burden, and quality of life in Phase II. Evaluation will use semi-structured interviews and participant observation data collected from professional and family caregivers of patients with moderate or mild dementia.

Conditions

Dementia, Vascular, Alzheimer Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia With Behavioral Disturbance

Donepezil Hydrochloride (E2020) in Dementia Associated With Cerebrovascular Disease
Description

Twenty-four week, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.

Conditions

Dementia, Vascular

Family Caregiver Online Survey (Dementia and Swallowing Difficulties)
Description

The Family Caregiver Survey is a one-time, 30-minute, online survey for people living with and caring for a family member with dementia. The goal of this research is to explore the needs of family caregivers, specifically when it comes to managing swallowing difficulties (dysphagia).

Conditions

Dementia, Dysphagia, Dementia Alzheimers, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia, Mixed, Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Dementia Frontal, Dementia, Mild, Dementia Moderate, Dementia Severe, Parkinson Disease Dementia, Dementia Frontotemporal

The BRAIN App (Phase 2 SBIR)
Description

There are currently 6.7 million Americans living with dementia and, without significant breakthroughs, this figure will double to 12.7 million by 2050. There are about 46,000 long-term care (LTC) facilities in the U.S. More than half of LTC residents have some form of dementia (Alzheimer's Association, 2018). Responsive behaviors and dysfunction of the dementia care triad-i.e., the PLWD, professional Care Partner (CP), and Family Member (FM)-are inexorably linked. The emergence of responsive behaviors can lead to disruption of the triad's function. Thus, it is imperative to maintain positive relationships and a high quality of life (QoL) within the triad to reduce BPSD. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) has demonstrated improvements in QoL and relationships for PLWD. CST is a psychosocial intervention that promotes communication and engagement in PLWD via a structured program of meaningful and enjoyable theme. While clinical trials have shown improvement in cognition and QoL, the potential large-scale impact of CST has been hampered by low adherence, with less than 40% completing trials. One likely reason for the low adherence to CST is the reliance on generic and non-digital tools (e.g., paper-based agendas, tools, DVDs, and board games) in facilitating the intervention. That is, even though CST aims to be personalized, the specific interventions used in the field tend to be generic and not tailored to each PLWD's specific interests. The use of digital technology to implement CST would offer considerable advantages to expand and personalize the range of stimulation content and provide a means for monitoring responses, optimizing protocols, and promoting adherence. The proposed Phase II study will involve the continued development and evaluation of a multi-faceted software platform called "Building Relationships using Artificial Intelligence and Nostalgia" or BRAIN. The BRAIN Platform will be the first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered CST digital therapy platform for PLWD. The platform, which has been shown to be effective in an initial Phase I clinical trial, has three main goals: to improve the quality of life of PLWD, to reduce BPSD in PLWD, and to foster positive relationships between members of the care triad. The proposed Phase II project has the following Specific Aims: 1. Create an improved Beta version of the BRAIN Platform's eight components: (1) the Admin Management Dashboard, (2) the Annotation Dashboard, (3) the Log Viewer, (4) the Content Management System (CMS), (5) the Private CMS, (6) the Control App, (7) the Home App, and (8) the Training Dashboard. 2. Fine-tune the different classes of AI algorithms-i.e., behavioral analytics, personalized content recommendation, and personalized program generation-in the BRAIN app such that they can (a) recognize and track 12 distinct behaviors and indicators of PLWD, (b) use these behavioral traits as a basis for automatically rating the relative success of each activity, and (c) automatically recommend personalized activities that are likely to be successful for individual PLWD. 3. Conduct a Cluster Randomized Trial (CRT) of the BRAIN App to examine the app's impact on engagement/affect, quality of life, and responsive behaviors. 4. Examine satisfaction and ease of use of the app for PLWD, LTC staff, and FMs.

Conditions

Dementia, Alzheimer Disease, Vascular Dementia

Stories in the Moment: Dance Program for People Living With Dementia
Description

This study is designed to evaluate the impact on the quality of life and wellbeing of a person-centered online dance program on people living with dementia or MCI and care partners. The duration of the study will be 1 year. Each participant in the study will be followed for approximately 4 months. The study includes joining a weekly 1-hour dance program online on Zoom for 12 weeks. Prior and after the dance program, participants will meet with the research coordinator to answer some questionnaires about wellbeing and reflections on their experience in the program. After the completion of the dance program, participants will be invited to join a focus group to reflect of the impact of the program with fellow participants. The study will enroll up to 72 participants. This includes 36 dyads of persons living with dementia or MCI and their care partners. The study will enroll community-dwelling people living with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or mild to moderate-stage dementia and care partners living in the United States.

Conditions

Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer Disease, Lewy Body Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Vascular Dementia

Making Connections Thru Music
Description

Healthcare systems around the world, including within the United States, have long-established shortages of trained caregivers. The American Health Care Association states that "the health care system has experienced a shortage of trained caregivers for critical roles for some time." This scarcity directly impacts the 45,800 Long-Term Care (LTC) communities throughout the U.S. Concurrent with this staff shortage, more than half of LTC residents have some form of dementia. These two issues create a serious public health concern, since dementia is associated with a variety of behavioral expressions, such as aggression, anxiety, and agitation. Behavioral expressions of dementia can be successfully managed with the use of tailored, psychosocial interventions and communication support. Unfortunately, existing staff shortages make the facilitation of such interventions challenging. One powerful and often-overlooked approach to ameliorating staffing shortages involves the utilization of retired volunteers to facilitate interventions for persons with dementia (PWD). Based on the nearly universal love of music and a promising pilot study, the product to be developed and tested in this STTR will build upon the combined prior work of the Principal Investigators. Making Connections Thru Music (MCTM), an urgently needed product, will enable retired volunteers to facilitate an evidence-based music and discussion intervention with PWD. MCTM aims to improve engagement, enhance quality of life, and reduce behavioral expressions in PWD. The intervention will consist of two main components: (1) a comprehensive online training course for volunteers, which will provide a general overview of dementia, demonstrate effective communication strategies to use with PWD, and instruct volunteers to effectively facilitate MCTM sessions, and (2) an app containing a structured MCTM intervention protocol and toolkit, which will be the means by which volunteers facilitate MCTM. MCTM will be marketed to LTC communities.

Conditions

Dementia, Alzheimer Disease, Vascular Dementia

Cognitive and Vascular Functioning Following TBI
Description

This observational study will examine the association of chronic traumatic cerebrovascular injury and cardiovascular risk factors with TBI-related cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. Cerebrovascular, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative blood biomarkers as well as clinical and neuroimaging data

Conditions

Traumatic Brain Injury, Cognitive Decline, Vascular Dementia

Urolithin A Supplementation in Middle-aged Adults With Obesity
Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effect of urolithin A, a dietary supplement, on blood flow in middle-aged adults with obesity. The main question it aims to answer is: - Does urolithin A supplementation improve blood flow in large and small blood vessels in middle-aged adults with obesity? Participants will be asked to: * Take the dietary supplement daily for 4 weeks * Attend two study visits to have their blood vessels checked, answer questionnaires, and give a sample of blood Researchers will compare people who took the dietary supplement with others who took a placebo to see if the blood flow in the blood vessels improved.

Conditions

Obesity, Vascular Dementia, Cognitive Impairment

Efficacy Study of Kinto Care Coaching for Dementia Family Caregivers
Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate Kinto's Care Coaching intervention for dementia caregivers. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the intervention help caregivers to address their general caregiving goals Does the intervention help caregivers to address their financial caregiving goals Participants will have access to: One-on-one care coaching sessions (via zoom) Up to 6 weekly support groups with other caregivers A variety of digital resources through Kinto's mobile app Researchers will compare intervention and control groups to see if the program supports caregivers' general and financial caregiving needs. The efficacy of the intervention also will be examined on key outcomes.

Conditions

Dementia, Alzheimer Disease, Lewy Body Disease, Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Mixed Dementia

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for Dementia: A Two-Armed Pragmatic Trial
Description

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is an evidence-based non-pharmacological group therapy shown to benefit people with mild to moderate dementia. Despite increasing availability of CST worldwide, access remains limited in the United States. This pilot pragmatic trial will embed CST referral into the standard care protocol of health care settings that serve people living with dementia in the state of Connecticut, and evaluate online delivery of CST known as virtual CST (V-CST), and assess the acceptability of V-CST to people living with dementia. The study design is a two-armed randomized embedded pragmatic clinical trial (ePCT). The trial aims to determine if cognitive decline is experienced less commonly among V-CST participants than control group members based on three widely used measures of cognition, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), St. Louis University Memory Screen (SLUMS), and Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). The study population will be persons with mild to moderate dementia identified by clinicians in standard care. From this population, subject participants will be randomized to intervention and control groups. Patients randomly assigned to the intervention group will be referred by their clinical providers to participate in V-CST, and those who accept the referral will participate in the intervention.

Conditions

Dementia, Cognitive Impairment, Mild, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia, Mixed, Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Dementia Frontal, Dementia Moderate, Dementia of Alzheimer Type, Dementia, Mild

The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study AD/ADRD Project
Description

The DPPOS AD/ADRD project will address the overarching question: What are the determinants and the nature of cognitive impairment among persons with pre-diabetes (PreD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), who are a high-risk group for cognitive impairment and represent a large fraction of the United States (US) population? This U19 proposal addresses the National Alzheimer's Project Act goal to "prevent, halt, or reverse AD" in the high-risk group of persons with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, who represent over half of the population aged 60 years and older in the US.

Conditions

Diabetes, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia, PreDiabetes

The Care Ecosystem Consortium Effectiveness Study
Description

The Care Ecosystem is an accessible, remotely delivered team-based dementia care model, designed to add value for patients, providers and payers in complex organizational and reimbursement structures. Care is delivered via the phone and web by unlicensed Care Team Navigators, who are trained and supervised by a team of dementia specialists with nursing, social work, and pharmacy expertise. The evidence base to date suggests that the Care Ecosystem improves outcomes important to people with dementia, caregivers, and payers when delivered in a controlled research environment, including reduced emergency department visits, higher quality of life for patients, lower caregiver depression, and reduced potentially inappropriate medication use (Possin et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2022). The investigators propose a rapid pragmatic trial in 6 health systems currently offering the Care Ecosystem program in geographically and culturally diverse populations. The investigators will leverage technology, delivering care via the phone and web and using electronic health records to monitor quality improvements and evaluate outcomes while maximizing external validity. The investigators will evaluate the effectiveness of the Care Ecosystem on outcomes important to patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and health systems during the pandemic. By evaluating the real-world effectiveness in diverse health systems that are already providing this model of care, this project will bridge the science-practice gap in dementia care during an unprecedented time of heightened strain on family caregivers, healthcare providers and health systems.

Conditions

Dementia, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Dementia Alzheimers, Frontotemporal Dementia

Telehealth-enabled Integrated Palliative Care for People With Dementia
Description

In prior work, this team developed a telehealth primary care model (TIPC), designed in close partnership with patients and clinicians to address a widespread increase in telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research team will test the TIPC intervention to assess support for patients among a population of persons with dementia (PwD). Participants will be enrolled in the study for a 12 month period. This study's aims are 1) to explore the impact of the TIPC intervention on patient-important outcomes, engagement with community-based support provided through insurers, advanced care planning (primarily identification of health-care proxy), and patterns of hospice and healthcare utilization in the target population and 2) to evaluate patient, caregiver, and clinical team perspectives of feasibility and acceptability of a TIPC model, and apply findings from this work to the development of a larger randomized control trial designed to assess long-term efficacy of TIPC intervention.

Conditions

Dementia of Alzheimer Type, Alzheimer Disease, Frontotemporal Degeneration, Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Cognitive Impairment, Vascular Dementia, Mixed Dementia

SAFE at Home: A Service to Provide Social Engagement to Community-Dwelling Persons With Dementia
Description

The proposed Phase 1 study will involve initial development and evaluation of a new service called Social Activities For Engagement at Home or SAFE at Home (SaH). SaH will enable PWD to participate in videoconference-based group activities with their peers-i.e., other PWD. SaH sessions will be facilitated by highly trained "Engagement Professionals," who will be SaH staff members that have a background in recreation therapy, activity coordination, or a similar field. The proposed study has three Specific Aims: Aim 1. Develop an Alpha version of the SaH app, including app infrastructure and preliminary activity content for live group sessions, as well as staff training and coaching modules. Aim 2. Examine the app's acceptability/feasibility (by assessing attendance, session length, and engagement/affect). Aim 3. Examine satisfaction with the app by directly eliciting feedback from PWD and life enrichment staff.

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia, Mixed

All About Me: An Intervention to Ease the Transition to Long Term Care
Description

This Phase I study will involve initial development and evaluation of an innovative cross-platform software app called All About Me (AAM), which will consist of Serious Digital Health Games (SDHGs) for PWD. The AAM app will assist staff in providing person-centered care and enable residents to improve relationships with one another and with staff, thereby promoting a sense of community. This Phase I study has three Specific Aims: (1) Develop an Alpha version of the AAM App, (2) Examine acceptability of and satisfaction with the AAM App, and (3) Examine the impact of the Resident Game Bundle / Survey Says Game on engagement/affect.

Conditions

Dementia, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia, Mixed, Dementia of Alzheimer Type

The BRAIN App: Building Relationships Using Artificial Intelligence and Nostalgia
Description

This study will involve testing of an Alpha version of an app called "Building Relationships using Artificial Intelligence and Nostalgia" or BRAIN. The BRAIN App will be the first -ever artificial intelligence infused CST app for PWD. The app has two main goals: (1) to foster positive relationships between the care triad, and (2) to promote QoL while reducing responsive behaviors in PWD. Testing will examine the app's impact on engagement/affect for both PWD and professional Care Partners.

Conditions

Dementia, Dementia, Vascular, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Mixed

Florida Cerebrovascular Disease Biorepository and Genomics Center
Description

The purpose of this study is to create a state-wide biorepository and resource center for cerebrovascular diseases in Florida, which will include collecting medical history information and blood from subjects affected by cerebrovascular disease. The information and blood samples collected may be used in future research for the study of cerebrovascular disease and to learn about, prevent or treat other health problems.

Conditions

Cerebrovascular Disease, Ischemic Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack, Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Vascular Dementia, Anoxic Brain Injury, Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm, Carotid Artery Stenosis Symptomatic, Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis, Non-Aneurysmal Perimesencephalic Subarachnoid Haemorrhage, Cerebral Venous Thrombosis, Moyamoya Disease, Fibromuscular Dysplasia, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Leukoaraiosis, Arteriovenous Fistula, Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome, CADASIL

WeCareAdvisor Study for Caregivers of People Living With Dementia
Description

The WeCareAdvisor is an online tool to help caregivers manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of people living with dementia. The trial will evaluate its efficacy to reduce caregiver distress, improve confidence managing behaviors, as well as reduce occurrences and severity of behavioral and psychological symptoms. Visit https://wecareadvisorstudy.com/ for more information.

Conditions

Dementia, Caregiver Burnout, Caregiver Stress Syndrome, Alzheimer Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Vascular Dementia, Dementia With Lewy Bodies

BRINK (BRain In Kidney Disease) Memory Study 2.0
Description

In this study, the investigators will be looking at results of tests of memory and thinking and daily activities in a group of people without known chronic kidney disease (CKD) , and a group of CKD patients, and follow the participants for up to four more years, including after the participants start dialysis or receive a transplant. The investigators are doing this study to compare how often memory loss, confusion and difficulty with daily activities occur in those without and those with CKD. Additionally, the investigators are doing this study to identify risk factors for memory and thinking problems in CKD patients. The information received through the NDI will be utilized to help track our study population and help provide useful information regarding cause of death of those in our study.

Conditions

Chronic Kidney Diseases, Dementia, Dementia, Vascular, Stroke, Alzheimer Disease, Cognitive Decline, Cognitive Impairment, Cognitive Dysfunction, Kidney Diseases, Diabetes, Cerebral Atrophy, Small Vessel Ischemic Disease

Palliative Care for Persons With Late-stage Alzheimer's and Related Dementias and Their Caregivers
Description

Millions of Americans have late-stage Alzheimer's and related dementias (ADRD), causing suffering due to loss of awareness of self and family, progressive dependency, physical and neuropsychiatric symptoms, and physical, emotional and financial strain for caregivers. Investigators now propose a multi-site randomized clinical trial of the ADRD Palliative Care (ADRD-PC) program for persons with late-stage ADRD and their family caregivers, triggered during hospitalization. Investigators aim to learn if this program of dementia-specific palliative care, standardized caregiver education, and transitional care is effective to reduce burdensome hospital transfers, improve symptom treatment and control, augment supportive services, and reduce nursing home transitions for patients, and to improve caregiver outcomes of communication, shared decision-making and distress.

Conditions

Dementia, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Dementia Frontal, Dementia, Mixed, Dementia Alzheimers, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia Severe

Determinants of Incident Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Vascular Effects on RecoverY
Description

The overall goal of the DISCOVERY study is to better understand what factors contribute to changes in cognitive (i.e., thinking and memory) abilities in patients who experienced a stroke. The purpose of the study is to help doctors identify patients at risk for dementia (decline in memory, thinking and other mental abilities that significantly affects daily functioning) after their stroke so that future treatments may be developed to improve outcomes in stroke patients. For this study, a "stroke" is defined as either (1) an acute ischemic stroke (AIS, or blood clot in the brain), (2) an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH, or bleeding in the brain), (3) or an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH, or bleeding around the brain caused by an abnormal bulge in a blood vessel that bursts). The investigators hypothesize that: 1. The size, type and location of the stroke play an important role in recovery of thinking and memory abilities after stroke, and pre-existing indicators of brain health further determine the extent of this recovery. 2. Specific stroke events occurring in individuals with underlying genetic or biological risk factors can cause further declines in brain heath, leading to changes in thinking and memory abilities after stroke. 3. Studying thinking and memory alongside brain imaging and blood samples in patients who have had a stroke allows for earlier identification of declining brain health and development of individualized treatment plans to improve patient outcomes in the future.

Conditions

Ischemic Stroke, Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Dementia, Vascular, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Automated Retinal Image Analysis System (EyeQuant) for Computation of Vascular Biomarkers
Description

This study aims to provide clinical validation of EyeQuant, a fully automated retinal image analysis system for computation of vascular biomarkers indicative of cognitive disorders, using retinal fundus photographs collected from patients with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia.

Conditions

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer Disease, Vascular Dementia

Rural Dementia Caregiver Project
Description

These caregivers are a vulnerable group due to their physical isolation and well-documented rural disparities in health care access and quality. Many rural dementia caregivers experience serious health consequences due to caregiving responsibilities that can limit their ability to maintain their caregiving role. Thus, there is a pressing need for effective, scalable, and accessible programs to support rural dementia caregivers. Online programs offer a convenient and readily translatable option for program delivery because they can be accessed by caregivers in the home and at the convenience of the user. Building Better Caregivers is an online 6-week, interactive, small-group self-management, social support, and skills-building workshop developed for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. The investigators will conduct a hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial that will enroll and randomize 640 rural dementia caregivers into two groups: the intervention (workshop) group and the attention control group. Caregivers will be recruited throughout the United States. Primary outcomes will be caregiver stress and depression symptoms. The investigators hypothesize that stress scores and depression symptoms will be significantly improved at 12 months in the intervention group versus control group. The investigators will also identify key strengths (facilitators) and weaknesses (barriers) of workshop implementation. The investigators will use the RE-AIM implementation framework and a mixed methods approach to identify implementation characteristics pertinent to both caregivers and rural community organizations. If the Building Better Caregivers workshop is proven to be effective, this research has the potential to open new research horizons, particularly on how to reach and effectively support isolated dementia caregivers in rural areas with an intervention that is scalable, even in low-resourced settings. If the workshop can achieve its goals with rural dementia caregivers, some of those most isolated, it would also be expected to be scalable in other low-resourced settings (e.g., in urban or suburban environments).

Conditions

Depression, Stress, Psychological, Self Efficacy, Loneliness, Social Isolation, Health Care Utilization, Dementia, Dementia Alzheimers, Dementia of Alzheimer Type, Dementia, Vascular, Dementia Frontal, Dementia, Lewy Body, Dementia, Mixed, Dementia in Parkinsons Disease, Dementia, HIV, Dementia Frontotemporal, Dementia, Multi-Infarct