Individualized Coordination and Empowerment for Care Partners of Persons with Dementia (ICECaP): Feasibility and acceptability

Background: Informal care partners (CPs) of persons with dementia (PWDs), who are at risk of negative health outcomes, benefit from psychosocial interventions. Individualized Coordination and Empowerment for CPs of PWDs (ICECaP) is a year-long, multi-component intervention comprised of in-person and telehealth psychoeducation and emotional support from dementia care coordinators (DCCs). ICECaP feasibility and acceptability were examined during a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Method: Feasibility was determined by study enrollment (relative to screening) and study completion. Acceptability was examined with CP-rated intervention satisfaction and DCC-completed surveys of CP engagement, using one-sample Wilcoxon tests to evaluate differences between observed and null hypothesized medians. Implementation fidelity was also evaluated. Analyses of variance and Chi-square tests identified demographic differences in study completion and DCC-reported CP engagement.

Results: Study enrollment (91.4 %) and study completion (85.4 %) were both high when compared to findings from a recent meta-analysis of CP psychosocial interventions. Completion was similar across groups (ICECaP vs. control) and demographics. CPs and DCCs communicated twice monthly, most commonly via email. On average, DCCs spent 68 minutes total per CP monthly; the number and duration of contacts varied widely. CPs responded positively on the satisfaction survey, and DCCs mostly responded positively about CP communication, engagement, and responsiveness. Communication was reportedly more difficult with employed CPs and CPs with ≥16 years of education.

Conclusion: ICECaP was both feasible and acceptable. DCC time spent with CPs occurred primarily virtually and varied widely, reflecting both individualization within the intervention and the unpredictability of dementia care for CPs.

Clinicaltrials: govNCT04495686.