Caring for Dementia Caregivers in Ethnic Immigrant Communities
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
- The protocol lists: K-Savvy, Healthy Living.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: No Disease or Condition is Being Studied, Stress (Psychology). Basic parameters: from 18 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
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
Many caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias-especially those in immigrant communities who don't speak English well-don't get access to helpful, proven support programs. This is especially true for Korean American caregivers. To address this, the investigative team adapted an existing caregiver support program (called the Savvy Caregiver Program) to better fit Korean culture and language. This new version, called K-Savvy, is a 6-week online program taught in Korean. In an earlier small study, K-Savvy worked well: caregivers found it helpful, were willing to use it, and showed fewer symptoms of depression. Now, the investigative team wants to study it more carefully to see how well it really works and why. The study has two main goals: Goal 1: The investigative team will measure whether K-Savvy improves caregivers' well-being-specifically whether it reduces stress and depression and helps them feel more positive about caregiving. The investigative team will also look at why it works, focusing on whether it changes how caregivers think about their situation (for example, feeling less overwhelmed and more confident). Goal 2: The investigative team will talk directly with caregivers and program instructors to understand their experiences with K-Savvy. This will help the investigative team learn what worked well, what didn't, and why.
Interventions
- Behavioral K-Savvy
Funded by the NIA (R21AG071790, PI: Jang), our team successfully completed linguistic and cultural adaptations of the Savvy Caregiver Program (SCP) for Korean American dementia caregivers with limited English Proficiency. The Korean version of the SCP (K-Savvy) has shown high feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy. - Behavioral Healthy Living
6-week online health education for Korean Americans with limited English proficiency
Primary outcome measures
- depressive symptoms [Time frame: from enrollment to 6-month follow-up]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- caregiver burden [Time frame: from enrollment to 6-month follow-up]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
Self-identified Korean American adults aged 18 or older Provide care for a family member with dementia as a primary caregiver Primary caregiver defined as providing a minimum of 10 hours per week of in-home caregiving to a family member Speak English less than "very well" Able to attend virtual classes using an electronic device with Internet access
Exclusion criteria
Individuals with severe depression (Patient Health Questionnaire \[PHQ-9\] score ≥ 20), as K-Savvy is not a mental health treatment program
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Sequential
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07550075 · R01AG090561