DemTool - Supporting Life With Dementia

Summary

This study will investigate the effects of a Danish psychosocial intervention, specifically the DemTool - supporting life with dementia, on quality of life and caregiver strain in family caregivers of people with dementia.

Conditions

• Dementia (Diagnosis)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Life with dementia in the community - Support group for family caregivers

This intervention aimed to promote coping and reduce caregiver burden through professional and peer support. It was delivered over a varied number of sessions, as this depended on the number of recruited participants in the municipalities. To support these sessions, booklets and fact sheets for family caregivers could be incorporated. These materials would cover various topics, including the psychological challenges and reactions faced by family caregivers, guidance on effective communication with people with dementia, and a guide to practical and legal issues. Further, there would be fact sheets addressing specific symptoms, such as memory loss, communication difficulties, depression, apathy, behavioral changes, and reduced awareness of symptoms. The use of these booklets and fact sheets in the intervention would be determined by the municipalities, allowing for adaptation to fit local contexts. Dementia coordinators within the community setting would implement this intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Life with dementia in the community - Group course

This intervention aimed to provide information on, e.g., dementia diseases, everyday life with dementia, being a family caregiver, and planning the future. It was delivered over six sessions. To support the sessions, booklets and fact sheets for family caregivers were incorporated. Materials covered various topics, including, e.g., the psychological challenges and reactions faced by family caregivers, and information on accessing support and services. Additionally, fact sheets addressed specific symptoms, such as memory loss, communication difficulties, apathy, and behavioral changes. To support municipalities in implementing this intervention, the Danish Dementia Research Centre provided PowerPoint presentations and a suggested order for the topics covered in each session. However, municipalities have the flexibility to adapt the use of the PowerPoints and the sequence of the sessions to suit their local contexts. This was done by dementia coordinators within the community setting.

BEHAVIORAL

Life with dementia in a care home- Group course

This intervention aimed to provide information on dementia diseases, moving into a care home, person centered care, and communication. It was delivered over five sessions. To support the sessions, booklets and fact sheets for family caregivers were incorporated. Materials covered various topics, including, e.g., psychological challenges and reactions faced by family caregivers, and guidance on effective communication with people with dementia. Additionally, fact sheets addressed specific symptoms, such as memory loss, communication difficulties, behavioral changes, and reduced awareness of symptoms. To support municipalities in implementing this, the Danish Dementia Research Centre provided PowerPoint presentations and a suggested order for the topics covered in each session. However, municipalities have the flexibility to adapt the use of PowerPoints and the sequence of sessions to suit their local contexts. This was carried out by dementia coordinators within the community setting.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Danish Dementia Research Centre

  lead NETWORK

Principal Investigators

• Gunhild Waldemar, MD, D.M.Sc · Danish Dementia Research Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

• T. Rune Nielsen, PhD · Danish Dementia Research Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

• Ann Nielsen, MSPH, PhD · Danish Dementia Research Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-05-01

Primary Completion

2024-01-24

Completion

2024-01-24

Countries

• Denmark

Study Locations