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Find more clinical trials

Reducing Agitation in People with Dementia

Start: November 2013
End: November 2017
Enrollment: 250

What Is This Study About?

One of the most significant challenges of dementia care is neuropsychiatric symptoms, including agitation, a common behavior that is associated with increased health care costs, reduced quality of life, heightened caregiver burden, disease acceleration, and nursing home placement. In this clinical trial, a nonpharmacologic, person-centered intervention, the Tailored Activity Program (TAP), will be tested. If proven cost-effective, TAP has potential to transform clinical practice by offering a proven nonpharmacologic treatment for agitation of people with dementia at home.

Do I Qualify To Participate in This Study?

Minimum Age: 21 Years

Maximum Age: N/A

Must have:

Inclusion criteria pertain to both the person with dementia and the caregiver. If either is eligible but the other is not, they will not be enrolled.

People with Dementia

  • English speaking
  • Diagnosed with probable dementia
  • Able to participate in at least two activities of daily living (including bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, transferring from bed to chair)
  • Exhibits agitated or aggressive behaviors
  • If on a psychotropic medication, must be on a stable dose for at least 60 days

Caregivers

  • English speaking
  • At least 21 years old
  • Lives with or within 5 miles of the person with dementia
  • Accessible by telephone to schedule interviews and sessions
  • Planning to live in the area for at least 6 months
  • If on a psychotropic medication, must be on a stable dose for at least 60 days

Must NOT have:

People with Dementia

  • History of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
  • Dementia secondary to probable head trauma
  • Unresponsive to environment (for example, unable to understand short commands or recognize a person coming in/out of the room).

Caregivers

  • Currently involved in another clinical trial of psychosocial or educational interventions
  • Planning to place the person with dementia in a nursing home within 6 months

Both Groups

  • Terminal illness with life expectancy of fewer than 6 months
  • Receiving active treatment for cancer
  • Has had more than three acute medical hospitalizations in the past year

If I Qualify, Who Do I Contact?

Contact study personnel listed either under the general study contact or the location nearest you.

Need Help?

Contact NIA’s Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 800-438-4380 or email ADEAR.

Where Is This Study Located?

Who Sponsors This Study?

Lead: Johns Hopkins University

Collaborator Sponsor

  • National Institute on Aging

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01892579

alzheimers.gov

An official website of the U.S. government, managed by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health