NCT05159583

In-Home Technology for Caregivers of People With Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Rural Homes

Commercializing In-Home Supportive Technology for Dementia Caregivers

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, Berkeley · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to develop, evaluate, and commercialize an in-home supportive technology that is designed to alleviate anxiety, burden, and loneliness in spousal and familial caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, or mild cognitive impairment in rural homes.

Detailed description

This study aims to develop, refine, evaluate, and commercialize a hardware/software system designed to integrate in-home sensors and devices, Internet-of-Things technologies (i.e., devices that can be controlled and communicated with via the internet), and social networking to create a more safe and supportive home environment for caregivers and people who have Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, or mild cognitive impairment. The system monitors troublesome behaviors in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (e.g., wandering), and targets mechanisms (e.g., worry, social isolation) thought to link behavioral symptoms in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment with adverse caregiver outcomes (declines in health and well-being). The system is designed to minimize demands on caregivers' limited time and energy and to provide a platform for data collection that can be used by researchers and care professionals. Hypotheses: 1. Rural caregivers in the active treatment condition will have better health and well-being (i.e., less caregiver depression, anxiety, loneliness, and burden) and higher user satisfaction compared to those in the control condition. 2. The magnitude of the difference in health and well-being and user satisfaction for rural caregivers in the active treatment condition compared to those in the control condition will increase over time (reflecting additional bot learning and ability to adjust to changing caregiver needs). 3. In the active treatment condition, greater utilization of features (e.g., selecting and receiving warnings, obtaining daily reports, accessing social support services) will be associated with better caregiver health and well-being and higher user satisfaction.

Conditions

• Dementia
• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Alzheimer Disease

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	In-Home Technology System	Intelligent bots monitor the in-home sensors, learn typical patterns, and provide caregivers with text messages and alerts via cell phone when worrisome behaviors occur. Caregivers are able to: (a) select services (e.g., warnings for falls, wandering, late night activity); (b) access daily reports (summaries of daily activities that can also be shared with health care providers); and (c) obtain support (e.g. Caregiver Support Groups that connect caregivers with knowledgeable experts and other caregivers, Caregiver Events that provide virtual meetings about relevant topics, and Trusted Circle task management to distribute the caregiving work load).
DEVICE	Limited In-Home Technology	Intelligent bots monitor the in-home water leak sensor and provide caregivers with text messages and alerts via cell phone when worrisome conditions occur.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-08-22
• Primary completion: 2024-01-30
• Completion: 2024-01-30
• First posted: 2021-12-16
• Last updated: 2025-02-25
• Results posted: 2025-01-07

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States