Risk Screening & Primary Prevention of Elder Abuse in People Living With Dementia

Risk Screening & Primary Prevention of Elder Abuse in People Living With Dementia

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a risk assessment screening and intervention for caregivers of people with dementia. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. What are the harms and benefits of administering the elder abuse risk assessment screening?
2. What are the harms and benefits of administering the caregiver intervention?

Researchers will compare participants who receive the screening and caregiver intervention to a group who does not receive the caregiver intervention and a group who receives neither the screening or the caregiver intervention to answer these questions.

Participants will:

• Complete two surveys, three months apart
• Complete a 5-item screening tool, if assigned to one of the screening groups
• Complete a 3-session caregiver intervention, if assigned to that group

This study aims to address the issue of elder mistreatment which affects one in ten older adults, and is particularly prevalent among those with dementia, where rates can reach 50%. In this randomized study, caregivers are assigned to different study groups so researchers can evaluate outcomes across varying levels of support. The project examines how structured assessment and caregiver-focused education influence caregiver stress, decision-making, and overall care dynamics, with the broader aim of informing scalable prevention strategies within primary care systems

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years old or older
• Speak English or Spanish
• Caregiver for a person with Alzheimer's Disease or another type of dementia
• Provide substantial care for this person, defined as assisting with at least one activity of daily living or two instrumental activities of daily living
• See this person at least twice a week
• Have access to the internet

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years old
• Speak language besides English or Spanish
• Caregiver for person who does not have dementia
• Do not provide substantial care for this person
• Primary relationship between caregiver and person with dementia is that of a professional paid caregiver
• Enrolled in another caregiver study