EPIC: An Intervention for Early-stage AD Dyads - Adapted for Virtual Delivery

The purpose of this study is to help early-stage individuals who have early-stage memory loss or early stage dementia and their current or future care partners by providing education and skill-training programs, held via Zoom, designed to reduce stress and distress, increase well-being and quality of life, and plan for the future. About 160 early-stage dyads (person with early-stage dementia and his/her care partner) will be enrolled across the United States through Arizona State University.

People who decide to voluntarily participate in this program, will be asked to:

• Meet others with memory loss and their care partners.
• Attend six group sessions via Zoom (2 hours & 30 minutes each) to learn strategies to help handle new situations, reduce stress, improve mood, communicate better with each other, and plan for the future.
• Participate in one 90-minute individualized session via Zoom to address specific issues that may be unique to each dyad's situation.
• Participate in three 2-hour confidential interviews that involve questions about background, mood, and quality of life.
• Participate in interviews at the start, and again about 3 and 6 months, via Zoom, to help us to continue to improve the program.
• Attend several monthly booster sessions after completion of the seven EPIC sessions.

Each person will receive up to $45 for completing all follow-up interviews, or $20- 25 for each interview completed. All participants are offered the EPIC sessions shortly after their first interview or shortly after their 3-month interview. Some participants will also attend an additional free education workshop within one month of the initial assessment.

DYAD INCLUSION CRITERIA:

• All participants - Care Partners (CP) and Early-Stage People (EP) - will be at least 18 years of age and speak, read, and write English or Spanish.
• Eligible dyad relationships include spouse, adult-child relationships (e.g., daughters), and other close friends and family members.
• Care partners must self-identify as the person who currently has or who expects to have the most hands-on responsibility and ongoing involvement with the EP.
• CPs must live with or have regular contact with the EP.
• EPs and CPs must reside in a community setting.

EP INCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Live at home rather than an institutional setting,
• Have a confirmed diagnosis of OR symptoms consistent with early-stage dementia
• Exhibit changes in memory as specified on the AD8 dementia screening tool.
• Have a Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)i score within a protocol-specified range.
• Have a CP who is defined by the EP as being the unpaid "family member" who has or will have primary responsibility for providing assistance to the EP

EP EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Denying or not reporting any trouble with memory, based on self-report
• Normal cognition, based on score derived from screening tool
• If yes to BOTH:

• severe mental illness or developmental disability before the age of 45
• memory problems due to past head injury