Dementia-friendly Apothecaries as a Resource for Mental Heath in the Elderly
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment, Mild Dementia. Basic parameters: 60 years — 90 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Germany
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Demenz-freundliche Apotheken Als Ressource für Psychische Gesundheit im Alter
Overview
The DARE study (Dementia-Friendly Apothecaries as a Resource for Mental Health in the Elderly) is a multicenter, prospective cohort study aiming to identify individuals with cognitive impairments early in pharmacies and enhance their access to support services. Partner pharmacies are equipped with memory test stations, and pharmaceutical staff are trained to guide participants. The digital memory test evaluates cognitive, psychosocial, and health factors, displaying results in a traffic light graphic. Participants with concerning results are referred to specialists or support services. The study's primary goals are to establish pharmacies as dementia screening hubs, improve care for affected individuals, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and lay the groundwork for legal and billing frameworks. An optional subproject validates the screening through neurological evaluations.
Detailed description
The DARE study (Dementia-Friendly Apothecaries as a Resource for Mental Health in the Elderly) is a multicenter, prospective cohort initiative designed to identify individuals with early cognitive impairments through pharmacies, making healthcare and support more accessible. It targets people with initial cognitive symptoms or mild dementia and aims to promote early intervention and improve quality of life.
Key Features:
* Screening Process: Partner pharmacies (10 across urban and rural settings) are equipped with memory test stations, including tablets for digital cognitive assessments and structured questionnaires. These cover cognitive decline, cardiovascular risk, and depression. * Traffic Light System: Results are displayed via a color-coded system (green, yellow, red), guiding next steps for participants, such as seeking medical consultation or accessing support services. * Pharmacy Staff Training: Staff receive training to communicate effectively with cognitively impaired individuals and manage the digital tools. * Demographic Data Collection: Information such as age, education, and marital status is gathered to understand participant profiles and tailor interventions.
Objectives:
1. Establish pharmacies as accessible hubs for dementia screening and support. 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of the screening process and its impact on participants' healthcare behavior. 3. Validate digital screening tools in non-clinical environments and explore their sensitivity and specificity.
Optional Subproject: A subset of participants undergoes additional clinical validation at the Alzheimer Therapy and Research Center, including neurological exams, imaging, and biomarker analysis.
The study emphasizes privacy through double pseudonymization, secure data handling, and adherence to ethical standards. It seeks to demonstrate the socioeconomic value of pharmacy-based dementia screening and create a framework for broader implementation.
Primary outcome measures
- Change in WHOQOL-BREF psychological domain score [Time frame: 2025 - 2027]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Healthcare utilization: number of healthcare contacts [Time frame: 2025 - 2027]
- Proportion of participants with new diagnosis of cognitive or neurological disorder [Time frame: 2025 - 2027]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Age: Participants must be 60 years or older at the time of consent.
- Language Proficiency: Sufficient knowledge of the German language to understand instructions and participate in the study.
- Cognitive Status: Presence of self-reported, relative-reported, or pharmacist-identified cognitive impairments (e.g., memory problems or mild cognitive changes).
- Consent: Ability to provide informed consent voluntarily.
Exclusion criteria
- Severe Sensory Impairments: Participants unable to see or hear well enough to complete the digital assessments or questionnaires.
- Previous Dementia Diagnosis: Individuals with a prior formal diagnosis of dementia, whether with or without underlying pathology.
- Severe Cognitive or Physical Impairments: Any condition that would prevent meaningful participation in the digital tests or structured screening process.
These criteria aim to ensure that the study includes participants at risk of early cognitive decline while excluding those for whom the interventions or assessments would not be feasible or relevant.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Germany · 1 center
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LMU Hospital — Munich
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07504965 · 24-0345 · 3565-48