German Clinical Trials Register

Acronym/abbreviation of the study

Tele.TAnDem.Tansfer

URL of the study

http://www.teletandem.uni-jena.de/

Brief summary in lay language

Caregivers are confronted with high demands. This leads to a need for professional support. Simultaneously, the high burden of care can also lead to a situation in which support services cannot be used. Telephone support can often be used more easily as it can be accessed from home. Against this background, we want to investigate (1) whether the implementation of a telephone-based therapy in established care structures is realisable, (2) whether the telephone-based therapy is more effective compared to conventional support services, and (3) whether the telephone-based therapy is as effective as face-to-face therapy. To assess this, family caregivers are interviewed three times 6 months apart. All participants receive information material about care and dementia. The telephone group receives 12 psychotherapy sessions on the phone, the personal-contact group receives 12 psychotherapy sessions in one of the participating treatment centers. Participants are asked whether they reside in the territory of a study center and could participate in the personal therapy. If this is the case, they are assigned to the face-to-face group. If this is not the case, they are randomly assigned to either the telephone group or the control group. The results of the study will be used to improve support services for caregivers.

Brief summary in scientific language

Family caregivers are confronted with high demands creating a need for professional support as well as creating barriers for its utilization. Telephone support allows easier access than face-to-face support. The objectives of this study were (1) to test the implementation of a telephone-based cognitive-behavioural therapy (TCT) in established care provision structures, (2) to assess whether TCT improves outcomes compared to usual care, and (3) whether TCT is as effective as face-to-face therapy (FCT). Family caregivers are interviewed at three measurement points each 6 months apart. All participants receive information materials on care and dementia. The telephone group receives 12 psychotherapy sessions on the phone, the face-to-face group receives 12 psychotherapy sessions in direct contact in one of the treatment centers. Participants are asked whether they reside in the area of a study center and could participate in the FCT. If this is the case, they are assigned to the face-to-face group. If this is not the case, they are randomly assigned to the TCT or the control group. The following questions are to be examined: (1) Is the TeleTAnDem intervention more effective than usual care regarding the improvement of subjective health complaints, quality of life and depressiveness? (2) Is a two-day training (8h) in Tele.TAnDem for trained behavioral therapists sufficient to achieve an adequate and effective implementation of the intervention in a counseling office of the Alzheimer Society? (3) Is the Tele.TAnDem intervention a cost-effective or possibly even cost-saving alternative compared to usual care? (4) Is the telephone therapy equally effective as the face-to-face intervention (similar in content and therapeutic procedures)? (5) Does Tele.TAnDem increase the use of professional support from family-caregivers of people with dementia? (6) Does Tele.TAnDem lead to delayed institutionalization of people with dementia and thus promote care at home? The results of the study will be used to improve support services for family-caregivers.