Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06850870

Door-Through-Door Companion Rideshare Technology for Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD)

The goal of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to assess the impact of D2D rideshare services with a trained companion driver on the rate of medical appointments for older adults and individuals with AD/ADRD. Participants will be assigned either door-through-door (D2D) rideshare or curb-to-curb (C2C) rideshare services. he main question it aims to answer is:

Do D2D rideshare services reduce missed medical appointment rates compared to C2C rideshare services?

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Notify Me

Key information

Age range

60 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Onward Health HQ

San Leandro, California, 94577, United States

About this study

A pilot randomized controlled trial (Stage 1). By stratifying on levels of cognitive impairment, i.e., no cognitive impairment vs. have mild to moderate cognitive impairment/MCI or subjective cognitive decline/SCD, the research team will randomly assign 120 riders, who have scheduled medical appointments at partner practices of Onward, to one of two groups: Onward D2D service (intervention) vs. C2C rideshare (control).

Intervention Group (D2D): Door-to-Door rideshare services with a trained companion driver.

Control Group (C2C): Standard Curb-to-Curb rideshare services.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • All participants (or their surrogate) have the capacity to agree to allow Onward service for transportation;
  • have scheduled medical appointments at partner practices of Onward;
  • ages 60+
  • community-dwelling;
  • 60 participants who self-reported cognitive problems, such as memory issue, or have mild cognitive impairment, subjective cognitive decline, or AD/ADRD diagnosis
  • Resides and attends appointments in the following San Francisco Bay Area Counties (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Sonoma)

Exclusion criteria

  • current enrollment in another transportation study;
  • already using any type of free or heavily subsized transportation service;
  • enrollees with comfort care only;
  • Not wheelchair bound, e.g. if using a wheelchair must be foldable and must be able to transfer
  • Transient, lacking consistent long term housing
  • Resides outside of the San Francisco Bay Area

Treatment and study plan

Door-through-door companion rideshare

Other

Door-through-Door Companion Drivers, unlike traditional rideshare services, are certified in CPR and first aid, and undergo onboard training to support older adults, individuals with mobility impairments, and those with AD/ADRD. They are trained to observe behaviors of AD/ADRD patients, monitor and detect risk of falls, elopement, and other events that may require extra assistance or emergency care during transport. Drivers accompany riders continuously until they can hand off riders to clinicians or other caregivers, or return them to their home. Technology features in the rideshare platform enable continuity of care, for consistent rider-driver matching and matching of riders to drivers based on support needs.

Curb-to-curb rideshare services

Other

Curb to curb rideshare services provided by a transportation network company (TNC) with drivers who don't have specialized training in supporting healthcare riders and who don't undergo fingerprint background checks or drug and alcohol testing.

Primary outcomes

  1. Appointment Adherence

    Time frame: 9 Months

    The rate of missed medical appointments (No shows and same day cancellations).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Quality of Life (QOL)

    Time frame: 9 months

    The impact of the intervention on participants' quality of life (QOL), as measured every 3 months during the study period using the ICECAP-A (ICEpop CAPability measure for Adults) Wellbeing and Quality of Life scale.

    ICECAP-A has the following five attributes, each of which can take one of four levels ranging from full capability to no capability, higher scores are better outcomes:

    • Stability (being able to feel settled and secure)
    • Attachment (being able to have love, friendship and support)
    • Autonomy (being able to be independent)
    • Achievement (being able to achieve and progress)
    • Enjoyment (being able to have enjoyment and pleasure)
  2. Ride Acceptance Rates

    Time frame: 9 Months

    Participant acceptance of the ride offered.

  3. Ride Completion Rates

    Time frame: 9 Months

    The completion rate of rides scheduled, as measured by the number of ride "No Shows" relative to rides booked.

  4. Ride Satisfaction

    Time frame: 9 Months

    Rider satisfaction with the rides received as rated on a 5 point star scale with 1 star being the lowest rating and 5 stars being the highest.

  5. Transportation as a SDoH

    Time frame: 9 Months

    Self reported unmet transportation needs as measured via surveys conducted every 3 months during the study period using Protocol for Responding to & Assessing Patients' Assets, Risks & Experiences (PRAPARE®) SDoH questionnaire transportation questions below.

    In the past 12 months, has lack of reliable transportation kept you from medical appointments, meetings, work or from getting things needed for daily living? Yes No

    Do you have trouble finding or paying for transportation? Yes No

    Has the inability to get your medications or get to appointments for care ever resulted in an emergency room visit or required hospitalization? Yes No

  6. Caregiver Burnout

    Time frame: 9 Months

    Participant caregiver ratings of caregiver burnout as measured by a survey conducted every 3 months during the study period using the HealthinAging.org Caregiver Self Assessment. Source: HealthinAging.org - https://www.healthinaging.org/tools-and-tips/caregiver-self-assessment-questionnaire

    The assessment asks 18 questions, 16 are Yes/No with scores over 10 "Yes" indicating burnout, and 2 on a 1-10 scale with scores over 6 indicating burnout.

  7. Rider Loneliness and Social Isolation

    Time frame: 9 Months

    Loneliness and Social Isolation will be measured every 3 months using the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale.

    • First, how often do you feel that you lack companionship: Hardly ever (1), some of the time (2), or often (3)?
    • How often do you feel left out: Hardly ever (1), some of the time (2), or often (3)?
    • How often do you feel isolated from others: Hardly ever (1), some of the time (2), or often (3)?

    Scoring: Sum the total of all items. Higher scores indicate greater degrees of loneliness. Possible range of scores from 3 to 9. Researchers in the past have grouped people who score 3 - 5 as "not lonely" and people with the score 6 - 9 as "lonely".

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Onward Health, Inc

Industry

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

Onward Door-Through-Door Companion Rideshare Technology to Improve Care for Older Adults and Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD)

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 27, 2025
Registry last updated
Jul 21, 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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.