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NCT Number: NCT06177990

Caregiver as Navigator: Develop Skills Online (CAN-DO)

This study is designed to learn more about ways to promote caregiver mastery online. 270 dementia family caregivers will be enrolled and randomized to take the CAN-DO online course immediately or after a waiting period. They will participate in interviews before and after the course; total time of study participation is 6 months.

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Key information

Conditions

Dementia Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Emory Roybal Center for Dementia Caregiving Mastery

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Carolyn Clevenger, RN, DNP

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mia Chester

CONTACT

[email protected]

About this study

Family members and friends are the core of the uncoordinated system of care that tenuously maintains persons living with dementia in their community settings and delays their placement into more costly settings of institutional care, providing more contributed and out of pocket care support than Medicare and Medicaid combined.

The CAN-DO program fills a significant gap in caregiver psychoeducation programming by focusing not principally on day-to-day care management but on the many substantial system navigation tasks that caregivers assume. Supported by preliminary efficacy data, CAN-DO will employ state-of-the art asynchronous interactive learning methods to enhance caregivers' mastery of skills and confidence to navigate healthcare and other (legal, financial, social service, and family) systems that are crucial to the continued community living of persons affected with dementia illnesses.

This study will enroll 270 dementia family caregivers who will be randomized to take the CAN-DO course immediately or after a waiting period. They will participate in interviews before and after the course; total time of study participation is 6 months.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Family member or friend providing at least 4 hours per week of informal care for a community-dwelling person living with ADRD
  • 18 years or older
  • Has internet access
  • Does not have to co-reside with the individual
  • Understands, speaks, and reads English

Exclusion criteria

  • Family caregiver plans to move care recipient to an institutional setting within the next six months
  • Care recipient currently enrolled in hospice

Treatment and study plan

Caregiver as Navigator: Develop Skills Online (CAN-DO) program

Other

Online, asynchronous psychoeducation program for dementia family caregivers. The program is meant to enhance caregivers' knowledge and skills for navigating healthcare, financial, legal, and family systems.

The program has three main sections.

  • The first section provides information and how to prepare for using the healthcare system and community-based services in dementia care and support.
  • The second provides information about how to be more effective when using the financial and legal system either for yourself or your person.
  • The third section of the course provides information about ways to manage and navigate family dynamics present in various caregiving scenarios more effectively.

Other names: CAN-DO

Healthy Living online course

Other

Online program for dementia family caregivers about "Healthy Living" for the first 4 months post-randomization.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Pearlin Caregiver Stress Scales score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This primary outcome will measure Caregiver Mastery (including Competence, Confidence, Management of Situation). The Pearlin caregiver scale includes 8 items, with a rating from 1-4 for each of them. Total possible score range is 8-32. Higher score correlates with better outcome.

  2. Change in Caregiver Assessment of Behavioral Skill scale score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This study outcome will also measure Caregiver Mastery. Caregiver Assessment of Behavioral Skills score will be assessed using the Fortinsky scale that includes 17 items rated from 0-3 each. Possible score range is 0-51. Higher score correlates with better outcome.

  3. Change in State-Trait Anxiety Scale score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This outcome will measure Caregiver Emotional Wellbeing. The State-Trait Anxiety Scale includes 20 items, each of them rated 1-4. Total possible score range 20-80 with higher score correlated with better study outcome.

  4. Change in Perceived Stress Scale score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This outcome will measure Caregiver Emotional Wellbeing. The Perceived Stress Scale includes 10 items, each of them rated 1-5, with a total possible score 10-50. Lower score correlates with better study outcome.

  5. Change in Caregiver Burden Index

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This outcome will measure Caregiver Emotional Wellbeing. The caregiver burden Index includes 22 items, each of them rated 0-4, with a total possible score 0-88. Lower score correlates with better study outcome.

  6. Change in Dyadic Relationship Scale score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This outcome will assess Caregiver Emotional Wellbeing. The Dyadic Relationship Scale includes 11 items rated from 1 to 4, with a total possible score range 11-44. Higher score correlates with better outcome.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Revised Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This outcome will assess Care Recipient Quality of Life. Total possible score: 0-96; Higher score correlates with worse outcome.

  2. Change in Quality of Life in Alzheimer's score

    Time frame: Baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 months post-intervention

    This outcome will assess Care Recipient Quality of Life. The total possible score is 13-52; Higher score correlates with better outcome.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Carolyn Clevenger, RN, DNP

CONTACT

[email protected]

404-712-2394

Mia Chester

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Emory University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

Caregiver as Navigator: Develop Skills Online (CAN-DO) Developing Dementia Family Caregiver Mastery for Navigating Complex Health, Social Service, Legal, Financial, and Family Systems

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Dec 20, 2023
Registry last updated
Jan 12, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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