Penn State Emergency Medicine CarES: Care-partner Evaluation and Sourcing in the ED
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Summary
Care partners of people living with dementia often experience ongoing stress and unmet support needs. This study evaluates the feasibility of a low-intensity, supportive education and resource intervention for care partners who previously participated in an observational study. Participants complete a baseline phone interview and a short stress journaling activity, followed by a six-week series of automated educational and supportive messages delivered by text message or email. Participants may also take part in an optional peer support focus group. The study examines caregiver stress, resilience, engagement with resources, and participant feedback to inform future caregiver support interventions.
Description
Care partners of people living with dementia often experience high levels of stress, burden, and unmet support needs, particularly during transitions of care. Even after participating in prior observational research, caregiving demands and stressors may evolve over time, highlighting the need for ongoing education and support. This is a mixed-methods, minimal-risk interventional study designed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of a low-intensity, supportive education and resource intervention for care partners of people living with dementia. Participants eligible for this study are care…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 60+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Person completed the CarES Observational Study. * Person is a care partner and: * Lives with the person living with dementia or * Checks on them at least once per week in person or by phone * Person is willing and able to participate in study assessments Exclusion Criteria: * Person is no longer a care partner for a person living with dementia * Person declines participation
Interventions
- BehavioralCare Partner Support and Education Messaging
Care partners receive a low-intensity, supportive intervention consisting of automated educational and supportive messages delivered by text message (SMS) or email over a six-week period. Messages include brief dementia caregiving education, stress and grief management strategies, and links to publicly available caregiving and community support resources. Participants are asked to complete brief check-in surveys to assess engagement, perceived usefulness of the materials, and caregiving stressors.
Location
- Milton S. Hershey Medical CenterHershey, Pennsylvania