Assessing Acceptability, Cost, and Efficacy of STELLA-Support Via Technology

Summary

STELLA (Support via Technology Living and Learning with Advancing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias) is a multicomponent video-conference based intervention that aims to help family members caring for persons of dementia as well the person with dementia. The goal of this intervention is to reduce upsetting behaviors and care partner burden. Caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (ADRD) can come with many burdens that affect not only the care partners' physical and psychological health but also barriers to access. Due to factors such as distance and cost, Internet-based interventions like STELLA are a great alternative to in-person interventions because it can still address the specific needs of families living with dementia. The hypothesis of this study is that care partners will show significant improvements in burden and depression following the intervention. STELLA is also designed to facilitate effective management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). To accomplish this, up to 40 care partners and their 40 care recipients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will participate in an 8-week intervention with the support of a Guide (e.g. nurse or social worker). However, the primary focus of this study is on care partners. With the support of a Guide, care partners will identify strategies to address upsetting behaviors in the moderate to late stages of dementia. More specifically, a Guide will help care partners identify and modify distressing behavioral symptoms of dementia. Based on quantitative and qualitative approaches, the effect of the intervention on care partner affective symptoms, including depression and burden, as well as quality of life for both the care partner and the person with dementia will be assessed.

Conditions

• Dementia
• Alzheimer Disease
• Caregiver Burnout
• Family Members

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

STELLA (Support via TEchnology: Living and Learning with Advancing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias)

STELLA consists of 8 sessions: 4 sessions one-to-one, with the Care Partner and a Guide, and then 4 sessions with one Guide with up to four Care Partners (total small group will include as few as two and as many as 4 Care Partners) Each weekly session takes about 1 hour. The first four sessions allow for development of the Care Partner-Guide working relationship. In these sessions, the Care Partners identify behaviors (both the person with dementia's and the Care Partner's) which are upsetting to the family. Care Partners will be taught to use an Activator, Behavior, Consequence (ABC) approach to identify activators of behaviors, the behaviors, and consequences of the behaviors. After they identify the ABCs, they will develop a plan to address the behavior and then test it. After the four one-to-one sessions, Care Partners will meet in small groups with a Guide. Effective communication strategies, engagement in pleasant events, and coping will be addressed.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• Oregon Health and Science University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Walter Dawson, PhD · Oregon Health and Science University

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-03-24

Primary Completion

2023-06-01

Completion

2023-06-15

Countries

• United States

Study Locations