Utilizing Senior Companions to Enhance Dementia Care

NCT03667924 | Completed Results

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY00004176R61AG061903
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 44
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The inability of healthcare systems to effectively manage Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) often results in families remaining unaware of important community-based, long-term services and supports (LTSS) that could help to mitigate the negative effects of cognitive impairment. This project will feature a collaboration between Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota to evaluate a novel adaption of the volunteer Senior Companion Program (SCP) to: a) assist families better manage ADRD at home; b) identify and facilitate the use of LTSS; and c) improve engagement with primary care providers throughout the state of Minnesota. If successful, the PorchLight Project will offer a potentially efficient, wide-ranging service model for states and communities to implement for persons with ADRD and their caregiving families.

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease; Dementia

Keywords

Caregiving; Community-based care; Long-term services and supports; Volunteer

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• Utilization of LTSS by PWML and Caregivers

  Community-based service utilization of PWML and caregivers will be assessed by asking participants to identify (from a fixed list of options) fifteen different home and community-based services (HCBS).

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

• Quality of Primary Care Interactions

  A 3-item measure of quality of interaction during primary care provider encounters. The total mean of item-responses was calculated, with a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 4. The higher scores mean higher quality interactions.

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

• Caregiver Distress: Burden

  Caregiver distress will be ascertained with the 22-item Zarit Burden Interview. Scores were summed; the higher the score, the more burden perceived. Minimum score of 0, high score of 88.

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

• Caregiver Distress: Depressive Symptoms

  Caregiver distress will be ascertained with the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. An average/mean, total score of item-responses was computed, with a minimum score of 1 and a high score of 4. The higher the score, the more depressive symptoms experienced.

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

• PWML Well-being

  We will assess the PWML health related quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale. The measure is single score of a minimum of 0 and maximum of 100. Higher scores indicate better health.

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

• PWML Depression

  PWML Depression will be ascertained using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form. The scale score is summed, with a minimum score of 0 and a maximum of 15. The higher the score, the greater the depressive symptoms experienced/indicated.

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

• PWML Quality of Life

  PWML Quality of Life will be ascertained using the 13-item Quality of Life Alzheimer's Disease-Measure (QOL-AD). The measure score is summed. The minimum score is 13 and the maximum score is 52. The higher the score, the greater perceived quality of life.

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Caregiver Self-efficacy

  Baseline, 1-month, 3-month

Study Arms (1)

PorchLight Project Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group will receive home-based support and respite services from PorchLight Project trained Senior Companion volunteers of the Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota.

Behavioral: PorchLight Project

Interventions

PorchLight Project BEHAVIORAL

Senior Companions (or other LSS-MN volunteers providing senior companionship services) who deliver the PorchLight Project will complete online CARES® Dementia Care Specialist training modules, additional trainings delivered by the research team (1. overview of the PorchLight Project, 2. review of the National Consensus Guidelines on Palliative Care, 3. review of the list of guided questions, and 4. review of journaling approach and LTSS resources), and participate in unstructured monthly check-ins (discussions and case review as applicable) with the research team.

PorchLight Project Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may not qualify if:

• A PWML or caregiver will be ineligible if they have a diagnosis of a serious psychiatric illness, their symptoms have worsened in the last 6 months, and they don't receive steady, ongoing treatment for those symptoms.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Minnesota: lead
• Johns Hopkins University: collaborator
• Brown University: collaborator
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator
• University of Texas: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

School of Public Health

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Rosebush CE, Stabler H, Nkimbeng M, Louwagie K, Fields NL, Jutkowitz E, Shippee TP, Gaugler JE. The Porchlight Project: A Pilot Study to Adapt the Senior Companion Program to Enhance Memory Care Services and Supports. Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2021 May 14;7:23337214211017651. doi: 10.1177/23337214211017651. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

  PMID: 34036120 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease; Dementia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Tauopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Limitations and Caveats

From PMCID: PMC8127785/PMID: 34036120: "...initial recruitment challenges as well as the COVID-19 pandemic severely curtailed our enrollment of clients and caregivers...Volunteer recruitment was successful (n = 33), and the largest barrier to training completion was early termination related to the pandemic...Due to slower training progress in the rural region, we did not enroll any rural clients or caregivers."

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Joseph Gaugler, PhD
• Organization: University of Minnesota

gaug0015@umn.edu

612-626-2485

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Enrollment: Number of participants: 44 (33 senior volunteers; 7 clients (PWML); 4 caregivers)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 10, 2018
• First Posted: September 12, 2018
• Study Start: April 29, 2019
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2020
• Study Completion: August 31, 2020
• Last Updated: April 8, 2026
• Results First Posted: November 25, 2022

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)