Chronic DiseaseWECCC-NHBNCT03634163
Compassionate Communities Neighbourhood Program
A study testing Neighbourhood exchange and Quality of Life Assessment in people with Chronic Disease and Aging, run by McMaster University at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
This study will evaluate a Compassionate Communities-based intervention aimed at reducing social isolation by mobilizing individuals to act on their health and social needs individually, and in collaboration with fellow members of their community. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Chronic Disease, Aging
- What is being tested?
- Neighbourhood exchange and Quality of Life Assessment
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 0 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2018to 30 Sep 2020
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Seniors (65 years of age and older)
- people with disabilities
- caregivers of seniors or people with disabilities
- residing in identified buildings/ neighbourhoods where the WECCC Compassionate Communities Neighbourhood program is being launched
- able to communicate in English or interpreter can be arranged
Who cannot join
- not able to communicate in English and interpreter cannot be arranged
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Compassionate Communities Neighbourhood Program: Cluster Randomized Trial
This study will evaluate a Compassionate Communities-based intervention aimed at reducing social isolation by mobilizing individuals to act on their health and social needs individually, and in collaboration with fellow members of their community. The intervention program includes facilitated building of neighbourhood networks (member benefits include access to practical help, the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships, and community mobilization), and coaching support to work on individualized goal setting and more detailed navigation support and planning.
Read the detailed description
The Compassionate Communities intervention is catalyzed by professional facilitators who visit communities with high concentrations of elderly and vulnerable residents, and recruit those who are interested in a project to identify their own health and social needs, assets and priorities; to collectively work to support each other in achieving these; and to implement a neighbourhood exchange to more easily match offers of help to people who need help. The mobilization work starts with the facilitator, who is employed by a community or social service organization, but increasingly draws on the energies of the mobilized initial participants as volunteers who conduct further community outreach in their community, attracting and mobilizing other residents, peers, and neighbouring resources in the work. Participants also plan and implement a broad range of activities identified by the residents as their priorities for neighbourhood building. Participants and their caregivers have the option of receiving more in-depth 1:1 coaching support to work on individualized goal setting, more detailed navigation support or advanced care planning following the sessions.
- Conditions
- Chronic Disease, Aging
- Being tested
- Neighbourhood exchange, Quality of Life Assessment
- Keywords
- disability
- Medical subject headings
- Chronic Disease
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Neighbourhood exchangeBehavioural
Facilitated coaching support to identify needs and priorities and link with resources - personal, community, friend and family, or from professional service providers; plan and implement a personalized care pathway through community exchange
Quality of Life AssessmentBehavioural
Completion of baseline measures
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate | Experimental | Quality of Life Assessment plus facilitated implementation of neighbourhood exchange and personal care support Receives: Behavioral: Neighbourhood exchange; Behavioral: Quality of Life Assessment |
| Delayed | Active comparator | Quality of Life Assessment Receives: Behavioral: Quality of Life Assessment |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perception of social disconnectedness
Social disconnectedness scale; 8-item validated scale (Cornwell and Waite, 2008), higher scores indicate greater social disconnectedness
Measured: change from baseline at 7 months
Secondary outcomes (7)
Perception of personal well-being
Assessed by Personal Well-Being Index (PWI); 8-item scale (Personal well-being index 5th edition, 2013). Higher scores indicate greater well-being
Measured: change from baseline at 7 months
Perceived loneliness scale
Assessed by Perceived loneliness scale; 9-item validated scale (Cornwell and Waite, 2009). Higher scores indicated greater perceived isolation
Measured: change from baseline at 7 months
Attainment of personal goals
Assessed by Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) instrument, measured on 5-point scale for each goal identified (Hurn et al, 2006), higher score indicates greater goal attainment
Measured: Change from baseline at 7 months
Health related quality of life
Assessed by Euroqol 5 dimension 5 level (5D-5L) scale; 5 levels of response for each of 5 items, score is converted to a single index, standardized to scale of 0 to 1, 1 being perfect health
Measured: change from baseline at 7 months
Perceived provisions of social relationships
Social provisions scale (SPS); 10-item validated scale consisting of 5 subscales (Caron, 2013). The SPS 10 measures the perception of social support and consists of 10 items expressed as statements with responses coded on a 4-point scale from strongly disagree (= 1) to strongly agree (= 4). The total SPS-10 score is formed by the summation of raw scores, with high score indicating a higher degree of social provisions (maximum score of 40)
Measured: change from baseline at 7 months
Number of emergency department visits
Number of emergency department visits measured from health administrative data
Measured: 7 months
Number of hospital admissions
Number of hospital admissions measured from health administrative data
Measured: 7 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Aug 2018
- Study start1 Sep 2018
- Primary completion30 Sep 2020
- Study completion30 Sep 2020
Why it stopped: For reasons of lack of funding and change of direction, the study did not proceed.
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Chronic DiseaseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Cluster randomization with stepped wedge
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Windsor-Essex Compassionate Care Community, University of Windsor, Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), Ontario Trillium Foundation
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Michelle Howard, McMaster University
- Investigators
- Michelle Howard, PhD, Principal investigator, McMaster UniversityLisa Dolovich, PharmD, Principal investigator, McMaster UniversityKathryn Pfaff, PhD, Principal investigator, University of WindsorMerrick Zwarenstein, PhD, Principal investigator, Western UniversityDenise Marshall, Principal investigator, McMaster UniversityRoss Upshur, Principal investigator, Sinai Health SystemsCarol Bennett, Principal investigator, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03634163
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 001-WECCC
- Acronym
- WECCC-NHB
- Status last verified
- Aug 2018
- First submitted
- 5 Jul 2018
- Last updated
- 14 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Compassionate Communities Neighbourhood Program: Cluster Randomized Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03634163
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- WECCC-NHB / 001-WECCC
- Conditions
- Chronic Disease, Aging
- Keywords
- disability
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- WithdrawnReason stopped: For reasons of lack of funding and change of direction, the study did not proceed.
- Enrolment
- 0 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Windsor-Essex Compassionate Care Community, University of Windsor, Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), Ontario Trillium Foundation
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2020 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 16 Aug 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will evaluate a Compassionate Communities-based intervention aimed at reducing social isolation by mobilizing individuals to act on their health and social needs individually, and in collaboration with fellow members of their community. The intervention program includes facilitated building of neighbourhood networks (member benefits include access to practical help, the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships, and community mobilization), and coaching support to work on individualized goal setting and more detailed navigation support and planning.
Detailed description
The Compassionate Communities intervention is catalyzed by professional facilitators who visit communities with high concentrations of elderly and vulnerable residents, and recruit those who are interested in a project to identify their own health and social needs, assets and priorities; to collectively work to support each other in achieving these; and to implement a neighbourhood exchange to more easily match offers of help to people who need help. The mobilization work starts with the facilitator, who is employed by a community or social service organization, but increasingly draws on the energies of the mobilized initial participants as volunteers who conduct further community outreach in their community, attracting and mobilizing other residents, peers, and neighbouring resources in the work. Participants also plan and implement a broad range of activities identified by the residents as their priorities for neighbourhood building. Participants and their caregivers have the option of receiving more in-depth 1:1 coaching support to work on individualized goal setting, more detailed navigation support or advanced care planning following the sessions.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Cluster randomization with stepped wedge
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate | Experimental | Behavioral: Neighbourhood exchange, Behavioral: Quality of Life AssessmentQuality of Life Assessment plus facilitated implementation of neighbourhood exchange and personal care support |
| Delayed | Active comparator | Behavioral: Quality of Life AssessmentQuality of Life Assessment |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Seniors (65 years of age and older)
- people with disabilities
- caregivers of seniors or people with disabilities
- residing in identified buildings/ neighbourhoods where the WECCC Compassionate Communities Neighbourhood program is being launched
- able to communicate in English or interpreter can be arranged
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- not able to communicate in English and interpreter cannot be arranged
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood exchangeFacilitated coaching support to identify needs and priorities and link with resources - personal, community, friend and family, or from professional service providers; plan and implement a personalized care pathway through community exchange | Behavioural | Immediate |
| Quality of Life AssessmentCompletion of baseline measures | Behavioural | Delayed, Immediate |
Primary outcome
Perception of social disconnectedness
Time frame: change from baseline at 7 months
Social disconnectedness scale; 8-item validated scale (Cornwell and Waite, 2008), higher scores indicate greater social disconnectedness
7 secondary outcomes
Perception of personal well-being
Time frame: change from baseline at 7 months
Perceived loneliness scale
Time frame: change from baseline at 7 months
Attainment of personal goals
Time frame: Change from baseline at 7 months
Health related quality of life
Time frame: change from baseline at 7 months
Perceived provisions of social relationships
Time frame: change from baseline at 7 months
Number of emergency department visits
Time frame: 7 months
Number of hospital admissions
Time frame: 7 months
Results and safety
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Michelle Howard, PhD principal investigator
McMaster University
Lisa Dolovich, PharmD principal investigator
McMaster University
Kathryn Pfaff, PhD principal investigator
University of Windsor
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Neighbourhood exchange and Quality of Life Assessment in people with Chronic Disease and Aging, run by McMaster University at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perception of social disconnectedness (time frame: change from baseline at 7 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Oct 2026.