Improving Care Through Improv: Promoting Mastery in the Moment
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The goals of this clinical trial are to: 1) refine the training program, "Improving Care though Improv;" and 2) test the program for its influence self-perceived caregiving mastery (i.e., how persons assess their ability to provide care) among informal caregivers of persons living with moderate dementia. Forty informal caregivers will be involved in testing the training program. These individuals will be assigned to groups of between 8 to12 caregivers and take part in weekly 2-hour sessions held over a 4-week period. These caregivers will be taught improvisational (improv) theater skills, which involves being in the moment, self-awareness, and responsiveness to others. This group also will be asked to answer surveys questions about themselves and the person receiving care at three timepoints and invited to provide feedback on their training experiences.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Informal Caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia Participants will receive the training program, "Improving Care through Improv." This involves four weekly 2-hour in-person training sessions. |
Behavioral: Training program pilot
This intervention for informal caregivers consists of training that will introduce participants to improvisational (improv) theatre and teach its core communication skills.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Pearlin Mastery, Loss, and Competence: Caregiver Competence Subscale [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
4-item Likert-type scale; scores range from 4 to 16 with higher scores indicating greater feelings of competence.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Perceived Stress Scale [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
14-item Likert-type scale. Scores range from 0 to 56 with higher scores indicating greater stress.
- Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
20-item Likert-type scale. Scores range from 0 to 60 with higher scores indicating greater depression.
- State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
20-item Likert-type scale. Scores range from 20 to 80 with higher scores indicating greater anxiety.
- Zarit Burden Inventory [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
22-item scale with 4-point Likert scale responses. Scores range from 0 to 88 with higher scores indicating greater burden.
- Revised Memory and Behavioral Problems Checklist [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
24-item scale with 4-point Likert scale responses. Scores range from 0 to 96 with higher scores indicating greater behavioral expressions observed by caregivers among persons living with dementia.
- Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease Scale [at baseline, upon training completion (Week 4), and three months post baseline.]
13 items with a 4-point Likert scale. Scores range from 13 to with 52 with higher scores indicating greater quality of life among persons living with dementia
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Actively engaged in the care of community-dwelling persons living with moderate dementia (4 or 5 on a 7-point dementia-staging scale) who is not likely to be institutionalized within the next 6 months
-
Able to attend at least 3 of the 4 in-person sessions
-
Ability to communicate in English
Contacts and Locations
Locations
No locations specified.Sponsors and Collaborators
- Georgia State University
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- P30AG064200
- DBSR-11114