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Purpose

The purpose of the study is to develop a caregiver-assisted pain coping skills training program for older adults who have pain and mild to moderate dementia and are living at home with a family caregiver. The investigators are planning to recruit 30 patient-caregiver dyads (60 individuals).

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 50 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

Patients: - Mild or moderate dementia - Pain on most days for at least 3 months that interferes with function - Living at home (non-institutional) - Age ≥ 50 - English Speaking Caregivers: - Provides on average at least 4 hours/day of care/assistance to the patient - Age ≥ 18 - English Speaking

Exclusion Criteria

Patient and caregivers - Lacking capacity for interview or unable to provide informed consent/assent. - Visual or hearing impairments or severe behavioral problems that preclude participation. - Too sick to participate.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Supportive Care
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Other
Patient-Caregiver Dyads 		Patient and caregiver dyads will receive five 45-60 minute sessions over 6-8 week period. This will be over videoconference with a masters-level therapist. All sessions will be audio recorded.
  • Behavioral: Caregiver-Assisted Pain Coping Skills Training (CG-PCST)
    Patient-caregiver dyads will receive five, forty-to-sixty-minute sessions over a six-to-eight-week period with a therapist to learn pain coping skills. These include training caregivers in strategies for assessing patient pain, including nonverbal pain behaviors (e.g., grimacing, bodily tension, labored breathing), which will become increasingly important as the patient's ability to express pain verbally decreases. The therapist will also train the caregiver to coach the patient in the use of the skills during activities that are challenging because of pain. We will focus on increasing positive patient-caregiver interactions and patient engagement in valued activities. Throughout the training, the therapist will help the patient and caregiver learn strategies for fostering regular home practice and application of the skills, identify challenges in using the skills, and find strategies for coping with challenges.

Recruiting Locations

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina 27705
Contact:
Laura Porter, Ph.D
919-416-3436
porte008@mc.duke.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Duke University

Study Contact

Laura Porter, Ph.D
919-416-3436
Laura.Porter@duke.edu

Detailed Description

Involving caregivers in a pain coping skills protocol is likely to optimize treatment outcomes in several ways. First, people with dementia (PWD) are likely to have difficulty learning and remembering pain coping skills; training the caregiver to coach the patient in the use of the skills is likely to improve the patients' acquisition and ongoing use of learned skills. Second, caregiver involvement in pain coping skills training may increase their understanding of how to gauge how much pain the PWD is experiencing and the impact of pain management strategies. This understanding is increasingly important as the patient's disease progresses, and s/he is less able to report pain verbally. Third, caregiver-assisted pain management training may enhance caregivers' self-confidence for managing the patient's pain. Finally, by participating in the pain coping skills training protocol, caregivers may learn coping skills (such as relaxation) that can help them manage the stress associated with caring for a PWD and pain which can be significant.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.