The COACH Project: Combined Online Assistance for Caregiver Health (COACH)
Traumas, Brain, Alzheimer Disease, Dementia
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Traumas, Brain focused on measuring Caregiver, Caregiving, TBI, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, physical exercise, physical activity, psychosocial, caregiver skills training
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- individuals aged 18 - 85
- distress associated with being the primary caregiver of a person with TBI or dementia
- endorsement of at least two of the following items: felt overwhelmed, felt like needed to cry, angry or frustrated, distant or cut of from family or friends, moderate to high levels of stress, felt their health had declined
- provide at least one hour of care (supervision or direct assistance) per week over the past three months
- approval by Primary Care Provider to participate in physical exercise
- be proficient in spoken and written English
Exclusion Criteria:
- current or lifetime history of any psychiatric disorder with psychotic features
- prominent suicidal or homicidal ideation
- current alcohol or substance abuse
- diagnosis of probable or possible dementia
- a Short Portable Mental Status score of ≥ 8
- participation in another caregiver intervention within the past year
- lack of regular access to the internet
- planned transfer of care recipient to another caregiver or nursing home within 12 months; 8) current severe cardiac disease (e.g., uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, defined as mean 24 hour heart rate >85 beats/min, or 24 hour maximal ventricular rate >150 beats/min; uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias, defined as recurrent ventricular tachycardia >3 beats in succession, or 24 hour PVC count >20%; active pericarditis or myocarditis; Class III/IV heart failure and / or ejection fraction < 20%; thrombophlebitis; pulmonary disease with a drop in O2 Sat with exercise to 90% without oxygen; embolism within past 6 months)
- inability to participate in an exercise stress test
- morbid obesity (BMI > 39)
- inability to read, verbalize understanding and voluntarily sign the Informed Consent.
Caregivers meeting any of these exclusion criteria will be excluded from all aspects of this project.
Sites / Locations
- VA Palo Alto Health Care SystemRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise
Balance and Flexibility
Participants will work with study staff to develop an individualized physical training program based on their level of functioning at study entry. Exercises will focus on increasing the heart rate to a point at which participants will breathe more heavily and may sweat.
Participants will work with study staff to develop an individualized physical training program based on their level of functioning at study entry.