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DementiaNCT03803592

Effect of a Dyadic Multisensory and Cognitive Stimulation Program for People With Dementia and Their Caregivers

A study testing Dyadic MCS program in people with Dementia and Carer Stress Syndrome, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University at 1 site in Hong Kong.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Although multisensory and cognitive stimulation therapy was shown as an effective intervention in improving cognition and behavioral symptoms of people with dementia (PWD), it is not commonly found as an element in the previous dyadic interventions. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Dementia, Carer Stress Syndrome
What is being tested?
Dyadic MCS program
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
240 participants
Where
1 siteHong Kong
Study dates
30 Nov 2018to 30 Jan 2022
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
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Aged 65 or above who had been diagnosed with any type of dementia,
  • Community-dwelling (i.e., non-institutionalized)
  • Understand Cantonese and able to follow simple instructions
  • Family Caregivers
  • Aged 18 years or above;
  • The blood or by-marriage relatives (e.g. spouses, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of a person who has been clinically diagnosed with dementia, regardless of its types and these relatives are taking up the caring responsibilities ranging from physical aids to emotional supports, in the form of transportation, financial assistance, personal hygiene, and decision-making.;
  • Providing most of the daily care and support for PWD (daily contact for at least four hours); and
  • Able to speak Cantonese

Who cannot join

  • Diagnosed with a mental disorder such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or depression; and/or,
  • Currently taking anticonvulsants, or any kind of psychotropic drugs, and/or identified with a self-reported suicidal thought or drug abuse in the past 6 months.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Hong Kong1 site
  • Patrick Kor

    Hong Kong

Other trials in Hong Kong

About this study

Official title: Effects of a Home Based, Dyadic Multisensory and Cognitive Stimulation (MCS) Program for the People With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers: a Pilot Quasi-experimental Study

Although multisensory and cognitive stimulation therapy was shown as an effective intervention in improving cognition and behavioral symptoms of people with dementia (PWD), it is not commonly found as an element in the previous dyadic interventions. It was believed that the involvement of the family caregivers in multisensory and cognitive stimulation therapy could produce additional benefits to both PWD and caregivers by enhancing their interactions. Therefore, we will conduct a pilot study which aims to explore the feasibility and the effects of a home based dyadic multisensory and cognitive stimulation (MCS) program for the PWD and their family caregivers followed by a randomized controlled trial (RCT). In the RCT, the intervention group will attend the home-based dyadic MCS group, while the control group will receive the usual care. The outcomes measurements of caregivers (positive caregiving experience, perceived stress, caregiver burden, and quality of life) and PWD (cognitive function and behavioral symptoms) will be assessed at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 month-follow up. To understand the therapeutic components and identify the strengths, limitations and difficulties of the home based dyadic MCS program, process evaluation will be conducted through semi-structured focus group interviews with 15 participants from the MCS group. It is hypothesized that the MCS group will have a significant improvement on positive caregiving experience, perceived stress, caregiver burden, and quality of life of caregivers and cognitive function and behavioral symptoms of PWD.

Read the detailed description

Background:

Dementia becomes a major issue of worldwide concern. According to the World Alzheimer Report, the number of patients with dementia (PWD) worldwide was estimated at 46.8 million and it will be triply projected to 131.5 million in 2050. Similarly, dementia is also a prominent problem in Hong Kong. One in every three local seniors who are over 895 years of age suffered from dementia. The prevalence of PWD in Hong Kong will have a triple increase from 100,000 cases in 2009 to 300,000 cases in 2039.As the disease progresses, PWD will gradually lose their self-care ability and their cognitive function. In addition, behavioral symptoms such as agitation, delusion, and anxiety will appear on the sufferers. The caring burden and the uncertainty about the disease progress result in high levels of caring stress and negative emotion on family caregivers.

Nowadays, different psychosocial interventions have been designed for the PWD and their family caregivers to promote their psychological well-being. The dyadic intervention is deemed as one of the effective approach due to its mutual influence between the PWD and their family caregivers. A systematic review with 40 clinical trials found that dyadic approach can be integrated into different interventions such as psycho-education, and caring skills training . Although cognitive stimulation and multisensory stimulation therapy are regarded as an effective intervention for the cognition and the behavioral symptoms of the PWD, it is not commonly found as an element in the previous dyadic interventions. Involving family caregivers in a cognitive training can have some potential benefits for both caregivers and the PWD (e.g. cognitive function of the PWD and the quality of life) . The involvement of the family caregivers in the cognitive and multisensory stimulation therapy could promote the interactions between the PWD and caregivers which may produce additional benefits for both caregivers and the PWD, compared with the traditional cognitive stimulation therapy.

Objective:

The study aims to investigate the effects of the home based dyadic Multisensory and cognitive stimulation (MCS) intervention for the family caregivers of PWD in improving their positive aspects of caregiving, stress, depression, quality of life, and burden; and the cognitive function and behavioral symptoms of the PWD immediate post-intervention (T1) and, 3-month follow-up (T2), compared with the control group.

Methods:

A two- arm randomized controlled trial will be adopted to achieve the research objectives. After considering the number of group size and previous studies about the sample size, a total of 60 subjects (120 pairs of dyads-PWD and caregivers) will be recruited from four elderly community centers in Hong Kong with convenience sampling.

Participants from the Intervention group will attend the home-based dyadic MCS group, while the control group will receive the usual care. The outcomes measurements of caregivers (positive caregiving experience, perceived stress, caregiver burden, and quality of life) and PWD (cognitive function and behavioral symptoms) will be assessed by a blinded assessor at baseline (T0), immediately post intervention (T1) , and 3 month-follow up (T2). To understand the therapeutic components and identify the strengths, limitations and difficulties of the home based dyadic MCS program, process evaluation will be conducted through focus group interviews with 15 MCS participants after the intervention. In order to obtain a broad spectrum of views about the intervention, participants will be purposely selected for interview based on their level of stress reduction after the intervention.

IBM SPSS 23.0 will be used for the data analyses. Mixed multi-variate modeling or MANOVA test will be performed to investigate the between-group effect, the within-group effect (Times: T0, T1, and T2) and the interaction effect (Group x Time) on all of the outcomes variables. The last observation carried forward method will be adopted to replace the missing data if the missing value is in a small amount (<20%) and randomly distributed (Gray, Grove, \& Burns, 2013; Hamer \& Simpson, 2009). For the qualitative data, content analysis approach will be used to analyze all the transcribed interview verbatim.

Significance and Value:

The clinical project addresses the limitations of the previous psychosocial interventions and provides the PWD and their caregivers with an opportunity to improve the cognitive function of the PWD and promote the positive caregiving experience in the family caregivers which can reduce the caregivers' level of stress and improve the quality of life of the both family caregivers and the PWD. The findings from this projects can also inform the future direction in supporting the PWD and their family members and strengthen the nursing role in the community care.

Being tested
Dyadic MCS program
Medical subject headings
Dementia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Dyadic MCS programBehavioural

    In the first 4 weeks, the dyads will attend the center-based FTF sessions. Each session will last for 1.5 hours. In the first 60 minutes, MCS activities (e.g. reality orientation, calculation and drawing) will be led by an occupational therapist. Skills in delivering the MCS activities will also be taught to equip CG with skills in leading the home-based sessions later. CG will leave in the last 30 minutes to attend a psychoeducation group on caregiving (led by social workers) and the PWD will continue the session.

    From week 5 onwards, The home based session (Week 5-15) will be delivered by the CG 3 times weekly at home (30 - 45min/ session).The sessions will be supplemented with weekly telephone follow-up and two FTF sharing sessions held on the 8th and 12th week over the period.

Study groups in NCT03803592
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Dyadic MCS programExperimentalParticipants from the experimental group will receive a dyadic multisensory and cognitive stimulation (MCS) programme. The MCS program is a 15- week program. In the first 4 weeks, participants will attend the center-based Face-to-face (FTF) session twice a week (8 sessions), while in the remaining week (5th-15th Week), home-based sessions will be delivered by the caregivers with the PWD at home and was suggested to deliver the intervention 3 times/week at home. The home-based sessions will be supplemented with weekly telephone follow-up and two FTF sharing sessions over the intervention period.
Receives: Behavioral: Dyadic MCS program
Control groupNo interventionParticipants from the control group will receive usual care and no intervention will be received.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in positive caregiving experience before and after the intervention

    The Change in caregivers' positive caregiving experience will be measured with the Chinese version of Positive Aspect of Caregiving scale (PAC). The PAC contains 11 items with 5-point Likert scale for all items responses. Scores for each items will be summed to compute a total score which ranges from 11 to 55, with higher scores indicating a more positive self-perceptions of caregiving.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

  2. Change in stress before and after the intervention

    The change in caregivers' stress will be measured with the Chinese version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The PSS contains 10 items with 5-point Likert-type scale rating from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). Scores for each items will be summed up to create a total score. The total score is ranged from 0-40, with higher score representing a higher level of perceived stress.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

  3. Change in caregivers' burden before and after the intervention

    The change of caregiver's burden (only on caregivers) will be measured with the Chinese version of Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). The scale comprises of 22 items including factors most frequently mentioned by caregivers as problem areas (e.g. caregivers' health, psychological well-being, finances, and social life). Caregivers will be asked to indicate the level of distress caused by each item, ranging from "not at all" to "extremely distressing," on a scale of 0 to 4. A total burden score will be obtained by adding up the scores for each response, with a possible total score ranging from 0 to 88. A higher score indicates greater caregiver distress.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

  4. Change in quality of life before and after the intervention

    The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-OLD) short form will be used to assess the changes of caregivers' quality of life (QOL). The WHOQOL-OLD short form comprises of 6 old aged-specific quality of life items and each item is rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale that ranged from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). Scores for each responses will be summed up to create a total score ranged from 6 to 30. A higher score indicates a better quality of life.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

  5. Change in depressive symptoms before and after the intervention

    Depressive mood changes of caregivers will be measured with the Chinese version of Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CESD), which is a self-reported measurement on depression containing 20 items. Ratings were based on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (rarely or none of the time) to 3 (most or all of the time). Items for each responses will be summed up to create a total score ranging from 0 to 60. A higher CESD score indicates a higher level of depression.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Change in cognitive functions of the PWD before and after the interventions

    Montreal Cognitive Assessment 5-min protocol (MoCA-5-min) will be used to assess changes on PWD' cognitive function over the telephone. The MoCA 5-min protocol consists of four subtests examining five cognitive domains, including attention, verbal learning and memory, executive functions/language, and orientation. Total score of the MoCA 5-min protocol range between 0 and 30, with higher score representing a higher level of cognitive functioning.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

  2. Change in behavioral and psychological symptoms of the PWD before and after the intervention

    Change in behavioural and psychological symptoms of PWD will be measured by the Chinese version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). NPI-Q is an informant-based instrument that measures the presence and severity of 12 Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) in patients with dementia and caregivers distress. The caregivers will be asked to identify whether the symptoms of the PWD had been present in the past week, and rate the severity of the symptoms (from a Likert scale ranged from 1 to 3) and the corresponding distress to them (from a Likert scale ranged from 1 to 5). The NPI-Q provides two subscores- total Severity of symptoms and total distress scores. Higher score on these two subscales represent a higher level of symptoms severity of PWD and distress.

    Measured: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Jan 2019
  2. Study start30 Nov 2018
  3. Primary completion30 Dec 2020
  4. Study completion30 Jan 2022

Resources

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
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
A two-arm non-randomized study design will be adopted to test the effect of a dyadic multisensory and cognitive stimulation program (MCS) for PWD and their caregivers between the intervention and control group. The Intervention group will attend the home-based dyadic MCS group, while the control group will receive the usual care. The dyadic MCS program is a 15-week program which composes of center-based face to face sessions (FTF) and caregiver-delivered home-based sessions. In the first 4 weeks, participants will attend the center-based FTF session twice a week (8 sessions), while in the remaining week (5th-15th Week), home-based sessions will be delivered by the caregivers at home and was suggested to deliver 3 times/week. To address any difficulties from the caregivers, the home-based sessions will be supplemented with weekly telephone follow-up and 2 FTF sharing sessions which will be held on the 8th and 12th week over the intervention period.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
240 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03803592
Sponsor's protocol ID
HSEARS20180911003
Status last verified
Jun 2024
First submitted
19 Oct 2018
Last updated
4 Jun 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Chin WY, Choi EP, Chan KT, Wong CK. The Psychometric Properties of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale in Chinese Primary Care Patients: Factor Structure, Construct Validity, Reliability, Sensitivity and Responsiveness. PLoS One. 2015 Aug 7;10(8):e0135131. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135131. eCollection 2015.

    PubMed 26252739
  • Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.

    PubMed 6668417
  • The Practice of Nursing Research: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of Evidence - Seventh edition Grove Susan K The Practice of Nursing Research: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of Evidence - Seventh edition 752pp Elsevier 9781455707362 1455707368 [Formula: see text]. Nurs Stand. 2013 Apr 3;27(31):30. doi: 10.7748/ns2013.04.27.31.30.b1488.

    PubMed 26981669
  • Hamer RM, Simpson PM. Last observation carried forward versus mixed models in the analysis of psychiatric clinical trials. Am J Psychiatry. 2009 Jun;166(6):639-41. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09040458. No abstract available.

    PubMed 19487398
  • Leung DY, Lam TH, Chan SS. Three versions of Perceived Stress Scale: validation in a sample of Chinese cardiac patients who smoke. BMC Public Health. 2010 Aug 25;10:513. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-513.

    PubMed 20735860
  • Prince M, Bryce R, Albanese E, Wimo A, Ribeiro W, Ferri CP. The global prevalence of dementia: a systematic review and metaanalysis. Alzheimers Dement. 2013 Jan;9(1):63-75.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2012.11.007.

    PubMed 23305823
  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied psychological measurement, 1(3), 385-401. doi:10.1177/014662167700100306

  • Smits CH, de Lange J, Droes RM, Meiland F, Vernooij-Dassen M, Pot AM. Effects of combined intervention programmes for people with dementia living at home and their caregivers: a systematic review. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007 Dec;22(12):1181-93. doi: 10.1002/gps.1805.

    PubMed 17457793
  • Van't Leven N, Prick AE, Groenewoud JG, Roelofs PD, de Lange J, Pot AM. Dyadic interventions for community-dwelling people with dementia and their family caregivers: a systematic review. Int Psychogeriatr. 2013 Oct;25(10):1581-603. doi: 10.1017/S1041610213000860. Epub 2013 Jul 24.

    PubMed 23883489
  • Wong A, Cheng ST, Lo ES, Kwan PW, Law LS, Chan AY, Wong LK, Mok V. Validity and reliability of the neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire version in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack having cognitive impairment. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2014 Dec;27(4):247-52. doi: 10.1177/0891988714532017. Epub 2014 Apr 24.

    PubMed 24763069
  • Wong A, Xiong YY, Kwan PW, Chan AY, Lam WW, Wang K, Chu WC, Nyenhuis DL, Nasreddine Z, Wong LK, Mok VC. The validity, reliability and clinical utility of the Hong Kong Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) in patients with cerebral small vessel disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2009;28(1):81-7. doi: 10.1159/000232589. Epub 2009 Aug 11.

    PubMed 19672065
  • Yu R, Chau PH, McGhee SM, Cheung WL, Chan KC, Cheung SH, Woo J. Trends in prevalence and mortality of dementia in elderly Hong Kong population: projections, disease burden, and implications for long-term care. Int J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;2012:406852. doi: 10.1155/2012/406852. Epub 2012 Oct 14.

    PubMed 23097740
  • Zarit SH, Reever KE, Bach-Peterson J. Relatives of the impaired elderly: correlates of feelings of burden. Gerontologist. 1980 Dec;20(6):649-55. doi: 10.1093/geront/20.6.649. No abstract available.

    PubMed 7203086
  • Chan, T. S., Lam, L. C., & Chiu, H. F. (2005). Validation of the Chinese version of the Zarit Burden Interview. Hong Kong Journal of Psychiatry, 15(1), 9-33.

  • Chau, P. H., McGhee, S. M., Yu, R., Cheung, W. L., Chan, K. C., Cheung, S. H., & Woo, J. (2010). Dementia Trends: Impact of the Ageing Population and Societal Implications for Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Dyadic MCS program in people with Dementia and Carer Stress Syndrome, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University at 1 site in Hong Kong.

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 8 inclusion and 2 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Jun 2024. 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 Hong Kong. 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 is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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?

Change in positive caregiving experience before and after the intervention (time frame: T0 (baseline) and (T1) immediately post-intervention). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03803592, which also lists 16 linked publications.

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 4 Jun 2024.

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