WEB-BASED SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR CAREGIVERS OF VETERANS WITH DEMENTIA DISCHARGED FROM SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES TO HOME
2 other identifiers
interventional
55
1 country
1
Brief Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether an evidence-based caregiver support program (Hospital GamePlan4Care) can benefit caregivers of hospitalized Veterans with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia who are discharged to skilled nursing facilities prior to returning home. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is Hospital GamePlan4Care feasible and acceptable to caregivers?
- Does Hospital GamePlan4Care improve caregiver-reported outcomes? Researchers will compare Hospital GamePlan4Care to health education to see if it improves caregiver reported outcomes. Participants in the Hospital GamePlan4Care arm will receive tailored skills training and support. Participants will be asked to:
- Complete tailored skills training on the Hospital GamePlan4Care website
- Complete four phone calls with a dementia care specialist to receive tailored training and support
- Complete questionnaires at enrollment, one month, and three months after enrollment.
- Complete an interview at three months Participants in the health education arm will receive education materials for caregivers. Participants will be asked to:
- Review the education materials
- Complete four phone calls with a dementia care specialist to review the materials
- Complete questionnaires at enrollment, one month, and three months after enrollment.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable
Started Feb 2026
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
January 28, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
February 4, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
February 17, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
February 17, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
February 17, 2027
February 4, 2026
January 1, 2026
1 year
January 28, 2026
January 28, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Caregiver Unmet Needs: Benjamin Rose Unmet Needs Scale
The Benjamin Rose Institute Unmet Need Scale includes 39 yes/no questions about different need that caregivers have (no=0, yes=1). The total score is a sum of all the yes responses. Higher scores indicate higher unmet needs.
Baseline, 30 days and 90 days
Secondary Outcomes (6)
Change in Self-Efficacy for Caregiving (CSES-8)
Baseline, 30 days, and 90 days
Change in Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) (10-item)
Baseline, 30 days, and 90 days
Change in Zarit Caregiving Burden Interview (12-item)
Baseline, 30 days and 90 days
Change in Self-Rated Health (1-item)
Baseline, 30 days, and 90 days
Change in Caregiver Distress on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire
Baseline, 30 days, and 90 days
- +1 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Hospital GamePlan4Care
EXPERIMENTALTailored caregiver skills training and support for caregiving for a person with dementia
Health Education
ACTIVE COMPARATOREducation on general caregiving topics.
Interventions
Caregivers in the health education arm will receive a VA Care Transitions Handbook, 4 emails with a weblink to a general caregiving topic, and 4 phone calls to confirm that the emails were received over a 3-month period.
The Hospital GamePlan4Care intervention will include access to a written VA Care Transitions handbook, access to the GamePlan4Care website for skills training, 11 emails encouraging them to visit the website, and four phone calls with a dementia care specialist to tailor the training to the caregiver's needs over a 3-month period
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- years of age or older
- provide care for a Veteran with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias or a Veteran with a prescription for a medication for dementia listed in CPRS who is admitted to the hospital at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
- Veteran must be experiencing signs of dementia as verified by a score of 2 or greater on the AD-8
- care for a Veteran with dementia who is discharged to a VA or non-VA skilled nursing facility prior to returning home
- provide at least eight hours of care or supervision per week to the Veteran with dementia
- provide care primarily due to a personal relationship, rather than a financial relationship
- have access to a telephone
- have access to a tablet or computer with internet access
- report using the computer or tablet to access the internet at least three times per week
- speak English
You may not qualify if:
- unable to complete informed consent
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- SUPPORTIVE CARE
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Assistant Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
January 28, 2026
First Posted
February 4, 2026
Study Start
February 17, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
February 17, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
February 17, 2027
Last Updated
February 4, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-01
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Time Frame
- After the data is analyzed and published
The investigators will provide a de-identified dataset compliant with VA data security policy to the public upon request to the principal investigator.