Caring for the Family Caregiver: Testing the Effect of Two Wellness Programs That Support the Well-being of Family Caregivers of Persons With Neurodegenerative Disorders

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

The purpose of this study is to assess whether an 8-week mindfulness program enhances psychological well-being (e.g., stress, depressive symptoms), biological indicators of stress (e.g., inflammation), and cognitive function (e.g., attentional ability) in primary family caregivers of persons with dementia or a related neurodegenerative disease. A total of 232 primary family caregivers aged 50+ years of age will be recruited for this study and randomized to one of three groups: mindfulness meditation (MM), psychoeducation (PSY) or caregiver respite (CR). All participants will complete three testing sessions: baseline (pre-intervention \[T1\]), post 8-week follow-up (post-intervention, \[T2\]), and 12-month follow-up (T3).

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 50
Maximum Age: 100
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:

• 50+ years of age

• Currently a primary family caregiver

• Fluent in English

Locations
Other Locations
Canada
Toronto Metropolitan University
RECRUITING
Toronto
Contact Information
Primary
Rhiannon Ueberholz, BA
star.lab@torontomu.ca
416-979-5000
Backup
Alexandra Fiocco, PhD
afiocco@torontomu.ca
416-979-5000
Time Frame
Start Date: 2024-06
Estimated Completion Date: 2028-09
Participants
Target number of participants: 232
Treatments
Experimental: Mindfulness Meditation (MM)
8-week mindfulness meditation program is based on Kabat-Zinn's MBSR program and will be led by MBSR-trained facilitators. The program has been modified to make it more accessible to caregivers. Weekly sessions will be 120-minutes long (instead of original 150-180-minute sessions). Formal meditation practices described in the original MBSR program (i.e., body scan, sitting meditation, mindful movement, mindful eating and walking) will be taught, in addition to loving kindness meditation (LKM). Participants will be given guided meditation recordings and compliance with home practice will be monitored with a practice log. The prescribed home practice has been modified to accommodate the needs of the caregiver: each practice is offered in 5- to 10-minute intervals (5 min, 10 min, and 20 min practice) to accommodate the caregiver's schedule.
Active_comparator: Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation (PSY) condition will be similar to MM with respect to number and duration of weekly sessions and daily homework. PSY is a lecture-based program based on the 10 KeysTM to Healthy Aging Course, an evidence-based program for older adults. Each session focuses on a specific topic related to wellness (e.g., nutrition, physical activity, medical screening) and caregiver-specific topics (e.g., understanding dementia and neurodegenerative disease, legal and financial issues).
Active_comparator: Respite control
Participant allocated to RC will not be exposed to a program, but will be offered 120-minutes of weekly respite care. Caregivers will be asked to record how they spend respite hours each week.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Toronto Metropolitan University

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov