MEMORI Corps: A novel activity-based companion care program to benefit community-living persons with dementia, their families, and senior volunteers

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Dementia is a high cost, high burden public health challenge. These include needs for respite and relief for the family, behavior management, supervision, and meaningful activities for the person with dementia (PWD). Family caregivers (CG) provide most of the care required, yet demographic trends project a steep decline in the availability of such CGs—signaling a looming crisis. A changing CG demographic (e.g. younger caregivers, caring for multiple persons while working) will also contribute to shortages in availability. Previously proven psychosocial and skill-building interventions are important care strategies to improve outcomes, but are also time intensive for caregivers to learn and implement. Also, these interventions do not typically afford family CGs with respite opportunities—a nearly universal need. Thus, new approaches to supporting families living with dementia are urgently needed. This is a randomized controlled trial (NIH Stage III) to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of Making Engagement Meaningful through Organized Routine Interaction (MEMORI) Corps, a novel activity-based companion care model delivered in the home to community-living persons with dementia (PWD) and their family caregivers (CG) by trained and supervised senior volunteers vs. Augmented Waitlist Control. The goal of the program is to address unmet respite care needs for dementia family caregivers, provide persons with dementia meaningful evidence-based activity programming, as well as provide health benefits, meaningful productive engagement, and peer support opportunities for senior volunteers. Core intervention components are derived and synthesized from Tailored Activities Program® , Experience Corps® and MIND at Home® and include: (1) detailed initial home-based assessment of interests and preserved abilities of PWD; (2) individualized activity program plans based on interests and abilities; (3) training of volunteers in communication and simplification strategies and use of activity program plans; (4) delivery of activity plans by volunteers to PWD over 12 weeks (8 hours/week) in their homes; (5) family caregiver education on activity plans and ways to utilize respite opportunities; and (6) support of volunteers from a skilled multidisciplinary clinical team. PWD/CG outcomes will be assessed at BL, 6-, and 12-weeks (PWD/CG participation lasts 12 weeks). Volunteer outcomes will be assessed at 6- and 12-months (Volunteer participation lasts 12 months). This model program could serve as an important new advancement for community-based long term care for PWD that addresses unmet patient- and family-centered needs through civic engagement of seniors.