Dyadic Life Review Intervention for Older Patients With Advanced Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias and Their Caregivers

NCT07796347 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: UOCPC260641K23AG086622-01A1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Dyadic Life Review (DLR) therapy for reducing caregiver distress, measured by caregiver burden to capture the multifaceted experience of distress, among older adults with advanced cancer and cognitive impairment and their caregivers.

Conditions

Cancer

Keywords

Older Adults; Geriatric Oncology; Caregivers

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change From Baseline in Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale Subjective Stress Burden Score at Week 18

  The subjective stress burden domain of the Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale assesses stress experienced by the caregiver in relation to caregiving. Scores range from 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater burden.

  Baseline and 18 weeks

• 2. Change From Baseline in Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale Subjective Demand Burden Score at Week 18

  The subjective demand burden domain of the Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale assesses the caregiver's perceived demands associated with caregiving. Scores range from 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater burden.

  Baseline and 18 weeks

• Change From Baseline in Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale Objective Burden Score at Week 18

  The Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale is a 14 item self report measure of caregiver burden. The objective burden domain assesses the impact of caregiving activities on the caregiver. Scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater burden.

  Baseline and 18 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change From Baseline in Unidimensional Relationship Closeness Scale Score at Week 18

  Baseline and 18 weeks

• Change From Baseline in Dyadic Adjustment Scale Score at Week 18

  Baseline and 18 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Dyadic Life Review

EXPERIMENTAL

The Dyadic Life Review Arm (DLR) consists of 8 sessions delivered by a trained licensed clinician. Each session facilitates a recall of each phase of life. The patient and caregiver will each be asked structured questions to prompt reminiscence of memories from that phase of life. Interventionists are able to use clinical judgment to prompt further or ask follow-up questions or reflections. Additionally, the patient and caregiver will be asked to respond to the other dyad member's memory or reflection. Each session will have flexibility for clinical judgement.

Behavioral: Dyadic Life Review

Care-As-Usual

NO INTERVENTION

The Care-As-Usual (CAU) arm will follow current practices for responding to patient distress. The CAU for patients involves a supportive follow-up phone call from the social work team to further assess the patient's experience of distress. In some instances, the social worker will use their clinical judgement to further refer the patient to community resources to support distress. The number of phone calls and any subsequent community referrals or appointments related to distress that occur will be tracked.

Interventions

Dyadic Life Review BEHAVIORAL

DLR is an intervention that will promote relationship closeness, communication, and psychological distress in both older adults and caregivers.

Dyadic Life Review

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 50 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥65
• Stage III or IV cancer diagnosis, of any type
• The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in-person or MoCA-telephone version ≥15
• Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL) ≥5
• Able to read and understand English
• Be able to provide informed consent (as measured by UBACC) or have a Legally Authorized Representative to provide informed consent, which can include the participating caregiver.
• Age 50 or older
• Caregivers are defined is a "significant other, spouse, romantic partner, or adult child with whom you discuss or who can be helpful in health-related matters;"
• Modified Caregiver Strain Index ≥ 5
• Able to read and understand English

You may not qualify if:

• No caregiver willing to participate in the study
• Caregivers unable to provide consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Rochester: lead
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Rochester

Rochester, New York, 14642, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms

Central Study Contacts

Lee Kehoe

CONTACT

585-275-4625; Lee_Kehoe@URMC.rochester.edu

Jourdan Lubes

CONTACT

585-275-1192; Jourdan_Lubes@URMC.rochester.edu

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 - Department of Psychiatry, Research

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 27, 2026
• First Posted: September 1, 2026
• Study Start: October 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 28, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 28, 2030
• Last Updated: September 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Locations

US (1)