The Pain Identification and Communication Toolkit: A Training Program to Support Family Caregivers of Persons With ADRD
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Summary
This study will evaluate the Pain Identification and Communication Toolkit (PICT), a multicomponent intervention for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). PICT provides training in observational pain assessment and coaching in effective pain communication techniques. It will recruit participants from programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) and partnering health care clinics. The investigators hypothesize that PICT will help caregivers to recognize and communicate about pain in their care recipients.
Description
Up to 60% of older persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) suffer from bothersome pain and nearly half experience pain-related activity limitations. Despite best-practice guidelines calling for routine pain assessment of persons with ADRD, pain is severely under-detected and poorly managed in this population. A major barrier to the identification and treatment of pain in persons with ADRD is impaired communication. Informal (family) caregivers are well situated to detect pain and facilitate management in persons with ADRD, given their extensive involvement in care activit…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 21+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
CAREGIVER PARTICIPANTS Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 21 or older 2. Any gender 3. English speaking 4. Cognitively intact (BOMC ≤10) 5. Provides care to a community-dwelling adult with dementia or cognitive impairment who also has a pain diagnosis 6. Care recipient is not enrolled in hospice 7. Visits the care recipient at least weekly 8. Accessible by telephone Exclusion Criteria: 1. Paid caregiver 2. Age 20 or younger 3. Non-English speaking 4. Cognitively impaired 5. Does not provide care to a person with dementia or cognitive impairment who also has a pain diagnosis 6. Currently enrolled i…
Interventions
- BehavioralPain Identification and Communication Toolkit
The Pain Identification and Communication Toolkit (PICT) is a multicomponent (6 module) intervention for family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). PICT consists of 4 weekly telephone sessions (30-60 minutes each) delivered by a trained interventionist
- BehavioralHealth Promotion Program
The attention control (AC) condition is referred to as the Health Promotion Program (HPP). The HPP will consist of 4 weekly telephone sessions (30-60 minutes each) but focus on caregiver health promotion topics, such as nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
Location
- Weill Cornell MedicineNew York, New York