Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?This project will compare two training models of an evidence-based online dementia care training program for direct care staff in assisted living to a waitlist control: 1) essentiALZ training and 2) essentiALZ training + Project ECHO. It will examine the extent to which each model is implemented and achieves its intended outcomes to improve staff knowledge and attitudes, change care practices, and improve the wellbeing of staff, residents, and residents' family members. Results will inform next steps in dementia care training for the assisted living (AL) and broader long-term care workforce.
To examine these outcomes, data will be collected from AL staff and families over the course of 6 months. Staff will complete questionnaires and participate in interviews (as applicable) at baseline, post-training, 3-months, and 6-months. Families will participate in interviews at baseline, 3-months, and 6-months.
Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment essentiALZ, essentiALZ Plus, Project ECHO, and Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes for dementia care?
The Project ECHO model has been shown to enhance dementia education for primary care providers, improving their knowledge and confidence in managing dementia. Additionally, dementia-specific training programs like Basic Care I and the IHSS + ADRD Training Project have demonstrated increased dementia knowledge and self-efficacy among caregivers, suggesting that similar educational approaches can be effective in dementia care.
12345Is the dementia care training program safe for participants?
The available research does not provide specific safety data for the dementia care training programs like essentiALZ or Project ECHO, but they focus on improving caregiver knowledge and reducing harmful practices in care settings, suggesting a focus on safety and quality improvement.
56789How is the treatment 'Training Programs for Dementia Care' different from other treatments for dementia?
This treatment is unique because it combines online training programs like essentiALZ and Project ECHO to enhance the skills and knowledge of caregivers and healthcare providers, especially in rural or under-resourced areas, through virtual clinics and telementoring, rather than focusing on medication or direct patient interventions.
510111213Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for direct care staff in assisted living facilities. It aims to improve dementia care by enhancing staff knowledge and practices, as well as the wellbeing of staff, residents, and their families. Participants will be involved in data collection over a 6-month period.Inclusion Criteria
Family: At follow-up, resident lived in AL community at least one month during the three months prior to interview date
I work in assisted living, providing direct care to residents.
I am over 18 and can read and speak English fluently.
+3 more
Exclusion Criteria
I am under 18 years old.
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Training
Participants receive essentiALZ training, a web-based program with five modules, over four weeks. In the ECHO arm, additional weekly sessions are conducted via Zoom.
4 weeks
6 virtual sessions (ECHO arm only)
Post-Training Assessment
Staff complete questionnaires and participate in interviews to assess training impact at baseline, post-training, 3-months, and 6-months.
6 months
4 assessment points (baseline, post-training, 3-months, 6-months)
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in knowledge, attitudes, and care practices over an additional 6 months after the intervention ends.
6 months
Participant Groups
The study compares two training models: essentiALZ alone, and essentiALZ combined with Project ECHO against a waitlist control group. The goal is to see which model better improves dementia care workforce skills.
3Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: essentiALZ + ECHOExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Communities randomized to this arm will receive the essentiALZ training: a web-based training taken by AL staff that contains three hours of self-paced content separated into five modules, plus a final review. Modules include: 1) Alzheimer's disease and dementia; 2) person-centered care; 3) assessment and care planning; 4) activities of daily living; and 5) behaviors and communication. Staff will be encouraged to take the training over the course of four weeks. Additionally, they will receive access to Project ECHO. ECHO is a virtual tele-mentoring model grounded in case-based learning. It includes six weekly one-hour sessions of didactic and discussive learning. The first five sessions will reflect the content of the five essentiALZ modules, and the final session will address maintenance. ECHO sessions are group sessions that will be conducted via Zoom.
Group II: essentiALZExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Communities randomized to this arm will receive the essentiALZ training: a web-based training taken by AL staff that contains three hours of self-paced content separated into five modules, plus a final review. Modules include: 1) Alzheimer's disease and dementia; 2) person-centered care; 3) assessment and care planning; 4) activities of daily living; and 5) behaviors and communication. Staff will be encouraged to take the training over the course of four weeks.
Group III: No InterventionActive Control1 Intervention
Standard care will be provided.
essentiALZ is already approved in United States for the following indications:
🇺🇸 Approved in United States as essentiALZ for:
- Dementia care training for assisted living staff
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of North Carolina, Chapel HillLead Sponsor
Alzheimer's AssociationCollaborator
National Institute on Aging (NIA)Collaborator
References
Beyond knowledge and confidence: a mixed methods evaluation of a Project ECHO course on dementia for primary care. [2023]Primary care clinicians have an important role in the management of dementia and have expressed interest in continuing education. The authors describe a model they used for providing dementia education in primary care, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), and an overview of its major features. A partnership including academic institutions and a national healthcare association is then outlined, including the unique features of the ECHO model developed through this partnership. A mixed-methods methodology was used for programmatic evaluation. This use of mixed methods adds vital new knowledge and learner perspectives that are key to planning subsequent ECHO courses related to dementia and primary care. The discussion includes an exploration of the significance of these findings for understanding the motivations of primary care providers for participation in the educational program, as well as the limitations of the current study. A final section explores the next steps in the continued development of the model and its implications for geriatrics education in dementia care, especially the supportive role that ECHO courses can play in meeting the challenges of dementia care.
Outcomes of Person-centered Care for Persons with Dementia in the Acute Care Setting: A Pilot Study. [2022]This pilot study assessed clinical outcomes and quality care for persons with dementia in an acute hospital with PCC, compared with usual care.
Basic care I: the effect of dementia-specific training on certified nursing assistants and other staff. [2019]This study evaluates the effectiveness of Basic Care I, a dementia-specific training course offered by the St. Louis Alzheimer's Association. Using three standardized measures, the effects of the course on knowledge gain, stress level, and sense of work-related self-esteem are examined Findings suggest that participation in Basic Care I increases retained learning, as 76.4 percent of the sample showed improvement on dementia knowledge scores. The outcomes of stress and self-esteem measures are inconclusive but indicate areas for future study. Implications for program planning are discussed.
DementiaNet facilitates a sustainable transition toward integrated primary dementia care: A long-term evaluation. [2023]Care integration is a promising strategy to achieve sustainable health-care systems. With DementiaNet, a 2-year program, we facilitated collaboration between primary health-care professionals. We studied changes in primary dementia care integration during and after DementiaNet participation.
Enhancing Dementia Knowledge and Self-Efficacy of In-Home Supportive Services Caregivers Through Online Training. [2023]California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program provides vital home care to low-income consumers, some of whom live with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (ADRD). Yet, most IHSS caregivers receive little or no training in dementia care. We present preliminary descriptive results of the IHSS + ADRD Training Project, a 10-week, competency-based, dementia training program, delivered online, for IHSS caregivers, in Alameda County. Increase in dementia knowledge and self-efficacy at training completion supports the importance of continuing and expanding this work.
Impact of a Videoconference Educational Intervention on Physical Restraint and Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes: Results From the ECHO-AGE Pilot Study. [2022]US nursing homes care for increasing numbers of residents with dementia and associated behavioral problems. They often lack access to specialized clinical expertise relevant to managing these problems. Project ECHO-AGE provides this expertise through videoconference sessions between frontline nursing home staff and clinical experts at an academic medical center. We hypothesized that ECHO-AGE would result in less use of physical and chemical restraints and other quality improvements in participating facilities.
Adverse events in community care: developing a research agenda. [2022]Little is known about the extent to which adverse events compromise the quality of community care. This article describes the results of a consensus workshop in which 31 healthcare professionals were asked to identify and rank common adverse events and important research questions relating to community care. Workshop participants were decision-makers and healthcare providers with areas of expertise that included community and home care; acute and primary care; patient safety; medical errors; and health services policy, administration and research. Results include prioritized lists of adverse events, research questions and contributing factors associated with adverse events. Further study should be aimed at defining and implementing research priorities and developing standardized definitions of common adverse events associated with community care.
[Adverse events causing discontinuation of donepezil for Alzheimer's dementia]. [2018]The objective was to investigate the frequency of adverse events (AE) as a cause for discontinuation of donepezil treatment for Alzheimer's dementia (DAT) in a geriatric memory unit.
Caregiver perspectives on safety in home dementia care. [2015]Home safety is a significant problem for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. This focus group study is designed to gain insight into caregivers' experiences of managing safety issues and to explore application of the transtheoretical model of health behavior change (TTM) to this problem, toward development of interventions to improve safety care. Caregivers identified safety problems and management strategies, as well as barriers and factors facilitating management, that can help guide the development of interventions. Caregivers described different stages of adopting actions to prevent accidents and injuries consistent with the TTM. The TTM warrants further study for understanding how to help caregivers make changes to promote safe care.
Developing memory clinics in primary care: an evidence-based interprofessional program of continuing professional development. [2013]Primary care is challenged to meet the needs of patients with dementia. A training program was developed to increase capacity for dementia care through the development of Family Health Team (FHT)-based interprofessional memory clinics. The interprofessional training program consisted of a 2-day workshop, 1-day observership, and 2-day mentorship program.
UW Project ECHO-Dementia: Implementation of a virtual clinic and telementoring program to improve dementia diagnosis and treatment in rural and under-resourced primary care settings. [2022]Primary care providers are on the front lines of dementia care and frequently the first point of contact for individuals and families concerned about changes in memory and thinking. In addition to the challenges of managing complex medical comorbidities, primary care providers in rural or lower-resource settings often lack access to specialists, interdisciplinary teams or other programs and services to aid in diagnosis and care of individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The current project extends an existing technology-based hub and spoke model virtual clinic, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, University of New Mexico), to improve diagnosis and care of dementia in primary care.
Feasibility and Utility of Online Dementia Care Training for Hospital Staff: The CARES® Dementia-Friendly Hospital™ Program. [2018]The current project tested the feasibility and utility of the CARES® Dementia-Friendly Hospital™ (CDFH) program, a 4-module, online training program for nursing assistants (NAs) and allied hospital workers (AHWs) who provide care to individuals with dementia. A single group pretest/posttest design was used for 25 hospital NAs/AHWs, and quantitative and qualitative data were collected to determine whether NAs'/AHWs' knowledge of hospital-based dementia care significantly increased, and if CDFH was perceived as useful and acceptable. Dementia care knowledge increased significantly (p
An evaluation of the CARES® Dementia Basics Program among caregivers. [2019]In 2014, the state of Oregon established Oregon Care Partners to provide high quality, free training to all dementia caregivers. This study evaluated participants' changes in knowledge, sense of competency in dementia caregiving, and ability to identify person-centered caregiving techniques after completing CARES® Dementia Basics online program, one of the educational resources available through this initiative.