Trial Outcomes & Findings for Using Technology to Support Care Partners for Persons With Alzheimer's Disease: Tele-STELLA (NCT NCT04627662)

Care Partners were remotely recruited from across the United States from clinics, electronic medical record systems, ADRC research cohorts, ResearchMatch and other national registries (e.g., RISE), community advisory committees, faith communities, and the community at large. We used social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) advertisements to recruit Care Partners from the ADRC regions.

Care Recipients were consented and enrolled into the study to collect demographic data about them. Care Recipients did not participate in the interventions, but because the virtual interventions were videorecorded, there may have been a time where the Care Recipient inadvertently steps into view of the camera and have their likeness recorded. In the case that happens, we had their consent to be videorecorded.

Using Technology to Support Care Partners for Persons With Alzheimer's Disease: Tele-STELLA

The primary outcome variable, reactivity, will be assessed with the RMBPC, which measures the frequency of care recipient behavioral symptoms and care partner reactions to these behaviors. The RMBPC was chosen because it aligns with our theoretical foundation that assumes burden is a result of care partner reactions to behavioral symptoms. The RMBPC is a 29-item caregiver report measure, 5-point Likert scale with frequency measuring from 0 (never occurred) to 4 (daily or more often) and reactivity measuring from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) for a total score between 0-116 for each subscale (frequency subscale and reactivity subscale). Higher scores indicate greater behavioral problems.

The primary outcome variable, reactivity, will be assessed with the RMBPC, which measures the frequency of care recipient behavioral symptoms and care partner reactions to these behaviors. The RMBPC was chosen because it aligns with our theoretical foundation that assumes burden is a result of care partner reactions to behavioral symptoms. The RMBPC is a 29-item caregiver report measure, 5-point Likert scale with frequency measuring from 0 (never occurred) to 4 (daily or more often) and reactivity measuring from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) for a total score between 0-116 for each subscale (frequency subscale and reactivity subscale). Higher scores indicate greater behavioral problems.

Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Index-Short Form (MM-CGI) is an 18-item caregiver-report measure of pre-death grief. Items are on a 5-point Likert scale and summed for a total score ranging between 18 to 90. Higher scores on this measure indicate greater caregiver grief.

The Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD), Care Partner version includes 13 items on a 4-point Likert scale with answers ranging from 1 = poor to 4 = excellent. The total score is the sum of items with a score range between 13-52. Higher scores indicate a better perceived quality of life for the care partner.

The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10) is a self-report measure of depressive symptoms on a 4-point Likert scale with answers ranging from 0-3 (0 = rarely/none to 3 = most/all of the time). Items are summed after reverse scoring for the two positively worded items with a total score range of 0-30. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms.

Zarit Burden Intervention 4-item (ZBI-4) is a 4-item caregiver-report measure of perceived burden. Items were on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (nearly always). The total score was the sum of items with a range of 0-16. Higher scores indicated greater caregiver burden.

The Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) is a 10-item Likert scale measure of the Big Five personality traits. Choices range from 1(disagree strongly) to 7 (agree strongly) with reverse scoring on items 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Scoring included the average of the two items as follows: extraversion: 1, 6R; agreeableness: 2R, 7; conscientiousness: 3, 8R; emotional stability: 4R, 9; openness to experiences: 5, 10R. Each trait had a score range of 1-7 with higher scores indicating greater standing on each trait dimension.

Investigator-developed single-item measure of computer self-efficacy: "I am confident in my ability to use computers." Care partners rated this sentence from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), with higher scores indicating greater perceived computer self-efficacy.

The Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD), Care Recipient version includes 13 items on a 4-point Likert scale with answers ranging from 1 = poor to 4 = excellent. Care partners reported on this based on how they think their care recipient would respond. The total score is the sum of items with a score range between 13-52. Higher scores indicate a better perceived quality of life for the care recipient.