N/A
N=80
Reducing Burden in Care Partners of Community-Dwelling Persons With Dementia and Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
Caregiver Burden · Alzheimer Disease · Dementia · Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06557863 ↗Enrolled (actual)
80
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Jun 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Mean Care Partner Burden at 3 Months Post Hospital Discharge — 41.3; 42.8 ZBI Score
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- WeCareToFeedDysphagia web tool (Behavioral)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Northwell Health
- Primary completion
- Aug 2025
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Mean Care Partner Burden at 3 Months Post Hospital Discharge |
41.3; 42.8 | — |
| SECONDARY Mean Care Partner Burden at 1 Month Post Hospital Discharge |
41.7; 43.7 | — |
| SECONDARY Mean Care Partner Quality of Life at 1 Month Post Hospital Discharge |
53.9; 54.8 | — |
| SECONDARY Mean Care Partner Quality of Life at 3 Months Post Hospital Discharge |
57.7; 52.7 | — |
| SECONDARY Percent Engagement With the WeCareToFeedDysphagia Tool |
21 | — |
| SECONDARY Percent Consented in Pilot Study |
80 | — |
| SECONDARY Percent Care Partner Attrition at 1 Month Post Hospital Discharge |
6; 4 | — |
| SECONDARY Percent Care Partner Attrition at 3 Months Post Hospital Discharge |
9; 6 | — |
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a newly-created website tool, called WeCareToFeedDysphagia, helps to reduce feelings of burden in care partners of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) who were diagnosed with trouble swallowing (oropharyngeal dysphagia). The main questions this first test (pilot) study aims to answer are:
* With the data this pilot study will collect, how do we best measure how strong a relationship is between care partners who use WeCareToFeedDysphagia and reduced feelings of burden (effect size estimates)?
* Is it possible (feasible) to successfully repeat this study in a larger clinical trial with more research participants?
Researchers will compare a group of care partners who have access to the WeCareToFeedDysphagia tool (intervention) to a group of care partners who do not have access to the tool. Both groups will receive contact information for help from a speech language pathologist expert (enhanced usual care).
Participants will:
* be given access to the web tool and receive 3 text message reminders over 3 weeks to use the tool (intervention group only).
* be asked to complete a remote, web-based survey three times: when enrolled in the study, at 1 month following patient leaving the hospital, and at 3 months following patient leaving the hospital.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Self identifies as the primary care partner of an older adult patient (patient aged 65 years or older) with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) and oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) admitted to the Northwell Health medicine service
- Care partner age 18 years or older
- Designated as the legally authorized representative (LAR) or health care proxy (HCP), or designated by the LAR or HCP to participate
- Proficient in English
- Has access to a device (e.g. smartphone, iPad, computer) capable of accessing a web browser
Exclusion Criteria
- Care partner of patient with a percutaneous feeding tube [i.e. percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube, percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) used exclusively]
- Care partner of patient who will not be discharged to the home or community setting (e.g., home, assisted living, independent living)
- Care partner will not be involved with OD management (e.g. buying or making food, feeding, supervising) after hospital discharge
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06557863). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.