DementiaLiving@HomeNCT07251088
Dyadic, App-supported Collaborative Care Intervention Trial for Family Caregivers of People Living With Dementia
A study testing Experimental arm in people with Dementia and Nurse Care Coordination, run by German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) at 12 sites in Germany.
Trial summary
In Germany, approximately 1.8 million individuals are living with dementia, representing a considerable share of those requiring long-term care. Many people with dementia (PlwD) express the desire to remain in their home environment for as long as possible. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- Dementia, Nurse Care Coordination, Informal Caregiver
- What is being tested?
- Experimental arm
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 554 participants
- Where
- 12 sitesGermany
- Study dates
- 1 Jan 2026to Dec 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 Any age
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- formal dementia diagnosis
- living in their own home for the person with dementia
- access to a smartphone and internet for the informal caregiver
- informed consent of the participant
Who cannot join
- not able to provide written consent
- if a legal representative is present, they may give their consent
Trial locations and contacts
12 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
12 sites in 1 country
Germany12 sites, 6 recruiting
- Recruiting
Universität zu Köln
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, 50937
Franziska Maier, Dr., +49 2214785401, franziska.maier@uk-koeln.de
- Recruiting
AGAPLESION Elisabethenstift
Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287
Andreas Fellgiebel, Univ.-Prof. Dr. med., +49 6151 4034001, andreas.fellgiebel@agaplesion.de
- Recruiting
Universitätsmedizin Göttingen
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, 37075
Björn Hendrik Schott, PD Dr. Dr., +49 5513963752, bjoernhendrik.schott@med.uni-goettingen.de
- Active, not recruiting
Universitätsmedizin Greifswald
Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 17475
- Recruiting
DZNE
Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 17487
Bernhard Michalowsky, PD Dr. Dr., +49 3834 86-8530, bernhard.michalowsky@dzne.de
Eva Gläser, eva.glaeser@dzne.de
- Active, not recruiting
AOK Niedersachsen
Hanover, Lower Sachsony, 30173
- Active, not recruiting
Institut für Technik der Informationsverarbeitung
Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, 76131
- Active, not recruiting
Universität Konstanz
Konstanz, Baden-Wurttemberg, 78464
- Active, not recruiting
Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
Magdeburg, Saxony, 39120
- Active, not recruiting
IKK gesund plus
Magdeburg, Saxony, 39124
- Recruiting
Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie Reutlingen mbh
Reutlingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, 72764
Frank Schwärzler, Dr., +49 712192000929, frank.schwaerzler@pprt.de
- Recruiting
Universitätsmedizin Rostock
Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 18057
Stefan Teipel, Prof. Dr. med., +49 381494 9480, stefan.teipel@med.uni-rostock.de
About this study
Official title: Dyadic, App-supported Collaborative Care Intervention Trial for Family Caregivers of People Living With Dementia - The Multi-center Living@Home Study
In Germany, approximately 1.8 million individuals are living with dementia, representing a considerable share of those requiring long-term care. Many people with dementia (PlwD) express the desire to remain in their home environment for as long as possible. However, the progressive cognitive and physical decline associated with the disease renders caregiving increasingly time-intensive and places a substantial burden on family members. In the absence of sufficient support structures, maintaining home-based care becomes difficult, creating additional strain on the health care system.
The study aims to address these challenges through an innovative intervention. Its primary objectives are: (1) to evaluate whether a dyadic care management model, delivered by specialized nurses with expertise in dementia care and supported by a mobile health application that provides direct access to caregiving experts and memory clinics, can help stabilize the home care situation; (2) to determine whether this approach reduces caregiver burden; and (3) to assess its effectiveness in alleviating neuropsychiatric symptoms in PlwD, compared to usual care.
Read the detailed description
In Germany, approximately 84% of the five million individuals in need of care are supported at home by informal caregivers, most commonly family members. Only 21% receive professional assistance from care or support services, highlighting the substantial responsibility placed on families. People living with dementia (PlwD) constitute a particularly large share of these care recipients. On average, they require around 36 hours of informal care per week-considerably more than individuals affected by conditions such as cancer (16 hours/week) or stroke (24 hours/week).
Both PlwD and their caregivers, often conceptualized as a dyad, frequently express a strong preference for remaining in their home environment and sustaining home-based care for as long as possible. While many caregivers provide support over extended periods and may even perceive their role as meaningful, the progressive cognitive and physical decline of PlwD, combined with neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregivers' perceived sense of obligation, can result in considerable psychological and physical strain. Such strain is commonly associated with depression, anxiety, diminished subjective well-being, reduced self-efficacy, and social withdrawal. Consequently, the sustainability of home care is often precarious. Indeed, 40% of caregivers of community-dwelling PlwD report being unable to maintain care for longer than one year, leading to institutionalization.
Although support services for caregivers have been steadily expanded in recent years, their utilization remains limited. Barriers include a lack of awareness, organizational hurdles, and, paradoxically, the high demands of caregiving itself, which can hinder access to such services. In the absence of sufficient support, informal care is increasingly substituted by professional long-term care, thereby intensifying pressure on already limited workforce and financial resources within the health care system. This transition is also frequently accompanied by feelings of guilt among caregivers.
Evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions to support caregivers is mixed. Randomized controlled trials have only partly demonstrated significant reductions in caregiver burden. A meta-analysis indicated that individualized, structured multicomponent interventions-comprising various support modules-are most effective. While there is some evidence for cost-effectiveness, it is constrained by small sample sizes. A model-based analysis suggests that dyadic interventions, which target both PlwD and caregivers, may prolong the feasibility of home-based care and could be cost-effective. However, findings remain inconsistent: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reported positive outcomes in 13 studies but no effect in 9 others. Effectiveness appears to depend strongly on the duration and intensity of interventions. One explanation may be that caregiver needs during periods of heightened burden were not adequately or promptly addressed.
Digital health interventions, such as remote, app-based solutions, offer the potential to overcome these limitations by providing flexible and immediate support at critical moments. Nevertheless, research in this field remains limited, and it is still unclear to what extent digital approaches can stabilize home care situations for PlwD and their families.
- Conditions
- Dementia, Nurse Care Coordination, Informal Caregiver
- Being tested
- Experimental arm
- Keywords
- Dementia, Dementia Care, Caregiver of people with dementia, Dyade, digital health intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Dementia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Experimental armOther
Also called Individualized Dementia Care Management
Dyads in the intervention group will receive individualized dementia care management over a twelve-month period, with the objective of identifying and effectively addressing the unmet needs of people living with dementia (PlwD) and their caregivers. The intervention is complemented by a mobile health application used by both caregivers and Care Specialists, providing caregivers with continuous access to care managers and memory clinics whenever challenges or burdens arise. The app facilitates ongoing monitoring of caregivers' health status and burden through regular real-time data collection, aggregation, and transmission to the care manager, thereby enabling timely and needs-based interventions or re-interventions. Consequently, the frequency and intensity of the intervention are tailored to the dyads' individual circumstances and reported levels of burden.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Care as usual | No intervention | Care as usual |
| Individualized Dementia Care Management | Experimental | Dyads in the intervention group will receive individualized dementia care management over a twelve-month period, with the objective of identifying and effectively addressing the unmet needs of people living with dementia (PlwD) and their caregivers. The intervention is complemented by a mobile health application used by both caregivers and Care Specialists, providing caregivers with continuous access to care managers and memory clinics whenever challenges or burdens arise. The app facilitates ongoing monitoring of caregivers' health status and burden through regular realtime data collection, aggregation, and transmission to the care manager, thereby enabling timely and needs-based interventions or re-interventions. Consequently, the frequency and intensity of the intervention are tailored to the dyads' individual circumstances and reported levels of burden. Receives: Other: Experimental arm |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Stability of the home care arrangement (Perseverance Time Scale)
For the Perseverance Time Scale, informal caregivers are asked (self-assessment) to estimate how long they believe they can continue to provide informal care and, thus, their current care situation. Response options are: less than one week, less than one month, less than six months, less than one year, less than two years, and two years or more.
This measure is central to evaluating the long-term stability of home-based care - an essential aspect of dementia care, given the chronic and progressive nature of the disease.
Measured: 12 months after baseline assessment
Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI-Q)
Another primary outcome is the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in PlwD, assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), completed by the informal caregiver via face-to-face interviews with the study nurse. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are well-documented contributors to caregiver burden, underlining the dyadic nature of selected primary outcomes. Each of the 12 domains of the NPI-Q includes a survey item that captures the key symptom associated with that domain. For each question, respondents indicate whether the symptom has been present ("Yes") or absent ("No"). If the response is "No," the informant proceeds to the next item. If "Yes," they are asked to rate the severity of the symptom experienced during the past month on a 3-point scale, as well as the caregiver distress caused by the symptom on a 5-point scale. The NPI score can becalculated by adding the scores of the first 10 ir 12 items, higher scores indicate higher presence of psychopathology.
Measured: 12 months after baseline assessment
Caregiver burden (ZBI)
The third primary outcome is the caregiver burden itself, measured via the Zarit Burden Interview (12-item version), which will be self-completed by caregivers. This tool is among the most commonly applied instruments in informal dementia caregiver research, enabling comparability across studies. While the most commonly used form of the Zarit Burden Interview is a 22-item version, the shortened 12-item version has demonstrated comparable psychometric properties (Bedard et al., 2001), offering a time-efficient alternative that reduces respondent burden. Each item on the interview is a statement which the caregiver is asked to rate using a 5-point scale. Response options range from 0 (never) to 4 (nearly always). The result of the instrument is a sum between 0 and 48, higher results indicate a higher subjective level of burden.
Measured: 12 months after baseline assessment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Nov 2025
- Study start1 Jan 2026
- Primary completionJun 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for DementiaStudies 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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Specially qualified nurses (caregiver experts) will provide individualized dementia care management to dyads in the intervention group over a period of twelve months, with the aim of identifying and effectively addressing the unmet needs of both people living with dementia (PlwD) and their caregivers.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 554 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University Medical Center Rostock, AGAPLESION ELISABETHENSTIFT gGmbH, AOK - Die Gesundheitskasse für Niedersachsen, Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie Reutlingen mbH, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, IKK gesund plus, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Universität Konstanz, Universität zu Köln, University Medicine Greifswald, Federal Joint Committee
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Bernhard Michalowsky, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
- Investigators
- Bernhard Michalowsky, PD Dr. Dr., Principal investigator, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07251088
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 01NVF24315
- Acronym
- Living@Home
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 30 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 26 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Scharf A, Michalowsky B, Radke A, Kleinke F, Schade S, Platen M, Buchholz M, Pfaff M, Iskandar A, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. Identifying and Addressing Unmet Needs in Dementia: The Role of Care Access and Psychosocial Support. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 Apr;40(4):e70066. doi: 10.1002/gps.70066.
PubMed 40148225Eichler T, Thyrian JR, Hertel J, Richter S, Wucherer D, Michalowsky B, Teipel S, Kilimann I, Dreier A, Hoffmann W. Unmet Needs of Community-Dwelling Primary Care Patients with Dementia in Germany: Prevalence and Correlates. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;51(3):847-55. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150935.
PubMed 26890767Michalowsky B, Eichler T, Thyrian JR, Hertel J, Wucherer D, Laufs S, Flessa S, Hoffmann W. Medication cost of persons with dementia in primary care in Germany. J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;42(3):949-58. doi: 10.3233/JAD-140804.
PubMed 25125471Logsdon RG, Gibbons LE, McCurry SM, Teri L. Assessing quality of life in older adults with cognitive impairment. Psychosom Med. 2002 May-Jun;64(3):510-9. doi: 10.1097/00006842-200205000-00016.
PubMed 12021425Zarit 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 7203086Janssen MF, Pickard AS, Golicki D, Gudex C, Niewada M, Scalone L, Swinburn P, Busschbach J. Measurement properties of the EQ-5D-5L compared to the EQ-5D-3L across eight patient groups: a multi-country study. Qual Life Res. 2013 Sep;22(7):1717-27. doi: 10.1007/s11136-012-0322-4. Epub 2012 Nov 25.
PubMed 23184421Scharf A, Kleinke F, Michalowsky B, Radke A, Pfitzner S, Muhlichen F, Buchholz M, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of People Living with Dementia and Their Associations with Unmet Healthcare Needs: Insights from the Baseline Assessment of the InDePendent Study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;99(2):559-575. doi: 10.3233/JAD-231173.
PubMed 38669533Kleinke F, Michalowsky B, Radke A, Platen M, Muhlichen F, Scharf A, Mohr W, Penndorf P, Bahls T, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. Advanced nursing practice and interprofessional dementia care (InDePendent): study protocol for a multi-center, cluster-randomized, controlled, interventional trial. Trials. 2022 Apr 11;23(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06249-1.
PubMed 35410437Glaser E, Kleinke F, Armanowski M, Buchholz M, Fellgiebel A, Gerdes M, Hoffmann W, Holle B, Kilimann I, Kohler K, Kohler S, Maier F, Matthaus I, Pfeuffer N, Radke A, Sarwinska D, Schott BH, Schwarzler F, Swart E, Teipel S, van den Berg N, Wendisch T, Wiltfang J, Wuttke A, Michalowsky B. Protocol of a dyadic, app-supported collaborative care intervention trial for informal caregivers of people living with dementia-the multi-center living@home study. Trials. 2026 Mar 18;27(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s13063-026-09639-x.
PubMed 41851807
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Dyadic, App-supported Collaborative Care Intervention Trial for Family Caregivers of People Living With Dementia - The Multi-center Living@Home Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07251088
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Living@Home / 01NVF24315
- Conditions
- Dementia, Nurse Care Coordination, Informal Caregiver
- Keywords
- Dementia, Dementia Care, Caregiver of people with dementia, Dyade, digital health intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 554 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University Medical Center Rostock, AGAPLESION ELISABETHENSTIFT gGmbH, AOK - Die Gesundheitskasse für Niedersachsen, Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie Reutlingen mbH, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, IKK gesund plus, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Universität Konstanz, Universität zu Köln, University Medicine Greifswald, Federal Joint Committee
- Study start
- 1 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jun 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 26 Nov 2025 (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.
In Germany, approximately 1.8 million individuals are living with dementia, representing a considerable share of those requiring long-term care. Many people with dementia (PlwD) express the desire to remain in their home environment for as long as possible. However, the progressive cognitive and physical decline associated with the disease renders caregiving increasingly time-intensive and places a substantial burden on family members. In the absence of sufficient support structures, maintaining home-based care becomes difficult, creating additional strain on the health care system.
The study aims to address these challenges through an innovative intervention. Its primary objectives are: (1) to evaluate whether a dyadic care management model, delivered by specialized nurses with expertise in dementia care and supported by a mobile health application that provides direct access to caregiving experts and memory clinics, can help stabilize the home care situation; (2) to determine whether this approach reduces caregiver burden; and (3) to assess its effectiveness in alleviating neuropsychiatric symptoms in PlwD, compared to usual care.
Detailed description
In Germany, approximately 84% of the five million individuals in need of care are supported at home by informal caregivers, most commonly family members. Only 21% receive professional assistance from care or support services, highlighting the substantial responsibility placed on families. People living with dementia (PlwD) constitute a particularly large share of these care recipients. On average, they require around 36 hours of informal care per week-considerably more than individuals affected by conditions such as cancer (16 hours/week) or stroke (24 hours/week).
Both PlwD and their caregivers, often conceptualized as a dyad, frequently express a strong preference for remaining in their home environment and sustaining home-based care for as long as possible. While many caregivers provide support over extended periods and may even perceive their role as meaningful, the progressive cognitive and physical decline of PlwD, combined with neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregivers' perceived sense of obligation, can result in considerable psychological and physical strain. Such strain is commonly associated with depression, anxiety, diminished subjective well-being, reduced self-efficacy, and social withdrawal. Consequently, the sustainability of home care is often precarious. Indeed, 40% of caregivers of community-dwelling PlwD report being unable to maintain care for longer than one year, leading to institutionalization.
Although support services for caregivers have been steadily expanded in recent years, their utilization remains limited. Barriers include a lack of awareness, organizational hurdles, and, paradoxically, the high demands of caregiving itself, which can hinder access to such services. In the absence of sufficient support, informal care is increasingly substituted by professional long-term care, thereby intensifying pressure on already limited workforce and financial resources within the health care system. This transition is also frequently accompanied by feelings of guilt among caregivers.
Evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions to support caregivers is mixed. Randomized controlled trials have only partly demonstrated significant reductions in caregiver burden. A meta-analysis indicated that individualized, structured multicomponent interventions-comprising various support modules-are most effective. While there is some evidence for cost-effectiveness, it is constrained by small sample sizes. A model-based analysis suggests that dyadic interventions, which target both PlwD and caregivers, may prolong the feasibility of home-based care and could be cost-effective. However, findings remain inconsistent: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reported positive outcomes in 13 studies but no effect in 9 others. Effectiveness appears to depend strongly on the duration and intensity of interventions. One explanation may be that caregiver needs during periods of heightened burden were not adequately or promptly addressed.
Digital health interventions, such as remote, app-based solutions, offer the potential to overcome these limitations by providing flexible and immediate support at critical moments. Nevertheless, research in this field remains limited, and it is still unclear to what extent digital approaches can stabilize home care situations for PlwD and their families.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Specially qualified nurses (caregiver experts) will provide individualized dementia care management to dyads in the intervention group over a period of twelve months, with the aim of identifying and effectively addressing the unmet needs of both people living with dementia (PlwD) and their caregivers.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Care as usual | No intervention | –Care as usual |
| Individualized Dementia Care Management | Experimental | Other: Experimental armDyads in the intervention group will receive individualized dementia care management over a twelve-month period, with the objective of identifying and effectively addressing the unmet needs of people living with dementia (PlwD) and their caregivers. The intervention is complemented by a mobile health application used by both caregivers and Care Specialists, providing caregivers with continuous access to care managers and memory clinics whenever challenges or burdens arise. The app facilitates ongoing monitoring of caregivers' health status and burden through regular realtime data collection, aggregation, and transmission to the care manager, thereby enabling timely and needs-based interventions or re-interventions. Consequently, the frequency and intensity of the intervention are tailored to the dyads' individual circumstances and reported levels of burden. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- formal dementia diagnosis
- living in their own home for the person with dementia
- access to a smartphone and internet for the informal caregiver
- informed consent of the participant
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- not able to provide written consent
- if a legal representative is present, they may give their consent
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental armAlso: Individualized Dementia Care ManagementDyads in the intervention group will receive individualized dementia care management over a twelve-month period, with the objective of identifying and effectively addressing the unmet needs of people living with dementia (PlwD) and their caregivers. The intervention is complemented by a mobile health application used by both caregivers and Care Specialists, providing caregivers with continuous access to care managers and memory clinics whenever challenges or burdens arise. The app facilitates ongoing monitoring of caregivers' health status and burden through regular real-time data collection, aggregation, and transmission to the care manager, thereby enabling timely and needs-based interventions or re-interventions. Consequently, the frequency and intensity of the intervention are tailored to the dyads' individual circumstances and reported levels of burden. | Other | Individualized Dementia Care Management |
Primary outcome
Stability of the home care arrangement (Perseverance Time Scale)
Time frame: 12 months after baseline assessment
For the Perseverance Time Scale, informal caregivers are asked (self-assessment) to estimate how long they believe they can continue to provide informal care and, thus, their current care situation. Response options are: less than one week, less than one month, less than six months, less than one year, less than two years, and two years or more. This measure is central to evaluating the long-term stability of home-based care - an essential aspect of dementia care, given the chronic and progressive nature of the disease.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI-Q)
Time frame: 12 months after baseline assessment
Another primary outcome is the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in PlwD, assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), completed by the informal caregiver via face-to-face interviews with the study nurse. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are well-documented contributors to caregiver burden, underlining the dyadic nature of selected primary outcomes. Each of the 12 domains of the NPI-Q includes a survey item that captures the key symptom associated with that domain. For each question, respondents indicate whether the symptom has been present ("Yes") or absent ("No"). If the response is "No," the informant proceeds to the next item. If "Yes," they are asked to rate the severity of the symptom experienced during the past month on a 3-point scale, as well as the caregiver distress caused by the symptom on a 5-point scale. The NPI score can becalculated by adding the scores of the first 10 ir 12 items, higher scores indicate higher presence of psychopathology.
Caregiver burden (ZBI)
Time frame: 12 months after baseline assessment
The third primary outcome is the caregiver burden itself, measured via the Zarit Burden Interview (12-item version), which will be self-completed by caregivers. This tool is among the most commonly applied instruments in informal dementia caregiver research, enabling comparability across studies. While the most commonly used form of the Zarit Burden Interview is a 22-item version, the shortened 12-item version has demonstrated comparable psychometric properties (Bedard et al., 2001), offering a time-efficient alternative that reduces respondent burden. Each item on the interview is a statement which the caregiver is asked to rate using a 5-point scale. Response options range from 0 (never) to 4 (nearly always). The result of the instrument is a sum between 0 and 48, higher results indicate a higher subjective level of burden.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Aug 2026.
- Background: PubMed 40148225Scharf A, Michalowsky B, Radke A, Kleinke F, Schade S, Platen M, Buchholz M, Pfaff M, Iskandar A, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. Identifying and Addressing Unmet Needs in Dementia: The Role of Care Access and Psychosocial Support. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 Apr;40(4):e70066. doi: 10.1002/gps.70066.
- Background: PubMed 26890767Eichler T, Thyrian JR, Hertel J, Richter S, Wucherer D, Michalowsky B, Teipel S, Kilimann I, Dreier A, Hoffmann W. Unmet Needs of Community-Dwelling Primary Care Patients with Dementia in Germany: Prevalence and Correlates. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;51(3):847-55. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150935.
- Background: PubMed 25125471Michalowsky B, Eichler T, Thyrian JR, Hertel J, Wucherer D, Laufs S, Flessa S, Hoffmann W. Medication cost of persons with dementia in primary care in Germany. J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;42(3):949-58. doi: 10.3233/JAD-140804.
- Background: PubMed 12021425Logsdon RG, Gibbons LE, McCurry SM, Teri L. Assessing quality of life in older adults with cognitive impairment. Psychosom Med. 2002 May-Jun;64(3):510-9. doi: 10.1097/00006842-200205000-00016.
- Background: PubMed 7203086Zarit 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.
- Background: PubMed 23184421Janssen MF, Pickard AS, Golicki D, Gudex C, Niewada M, Scalone L, Swinburn P, Busschbach J. Measurement properties of the EQ-5D-5L compared to the EQ-5D-3L across eight patient groups: a multi-country study. Qual Life Res. 2013 Sep;22(7):1717-27. doi: 10.1007/s11136-012-0322-4. Epub 2012 Nov 25.
- Background: PubMed 38669533Scharf A, Kleinke F, Michalowsky B, Radke A, Pfitzner S, Muhlichen F, Buchholz M, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of People Living with Dementia and Their Associations with Unmet Healthcare Needs: Insights from the Baseline Assessment of the InDePendent Study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;99(2):559-575. doi: 10.3233/JAD-231173.
- Background: PubMed 35410437Kleinke F, Michalowsky B, Radke A, Platen M, Muhlichen F, Scharf A, Mohr W, Penndorf P, Bahls T, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. Advanced nursing practice and interprofessional dementia care (InDePendent): study protocol for a multi-center, cluster-randomized, controlled, interventional trial. Trials. 2022 Apr 11;23(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06249-1.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41851807Glaser E, Kleinke F, Armanowski M, Buchholz M, Fellgiebel A, Gerdes M, Hoffmann W, Holle B, Kilimann I, Kohler K, Kohler S, Maier F, Matthaus I, Pfeuffer N, Radke A, Sarwinska D, Schott BH, Schwarzler F, Swart E, Teipel S, van den Berg N, Wendisch T, Wiltfang J, Wuttke A, Michalowsky B. Protocol of a dyadic, app-supported collaborative care intervention trial for informal caregivers of people living with dementia-the multi-center living@home study. Trials. 2026 Mar 18;27(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s13063-026-09639-x.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Bernhard Michalowsky, PD Dr. Dr. principal investigator
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
12 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Experimental arm in people with Dementia and Nurse Care Coordination, run by German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) at 12 sites in Germany.
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 4 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 12 sites in Germany. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Bernhard Michalowsky, PD Dr. Dr. (+49 3834 86-8530, bernhard.michalowsky@dzne.de), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Stability of the home care arrangement (Perseverance Time Scale) (time frame: 12 months after baseline assessment). The study lists 3 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 NCT07251088, which also lists 9 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 26 Aug 2026.