Palliative Care Training for Dementia

(PCEAL-DCP Trial)

Overseen By Debra Dobbs, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of South Florida

Disqualifiers: Hospice care, Discharged, Non-licensed staff, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 7

792 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to improve dementia care quality by providing palliative care training to staff in assisted living facilities. The training consists of a 4-week program designed to enhance the skills of nurses, administrators, and dementia care coordinators. It is ideal for assisted living communities with at least 40 beds and a significant portion of residents needing memory care. The trial focuses on facilities with access to specific hospice services. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to enhance dementia care practices in assisted living facilities.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems to focus on training for care providers rather than directly involving residents in medication changes.

What prior data suggests that this training is safe for dementia care providers?

Research has shown that training in palliative care for those caring for people with dementia is generally safe. Studies indicate that this training can better manage symptoms and improve patients' quality of life. It emphasizes understanding and meeting the needs of both patients and their caregivers, significantly enhancing care.

No reports of physical side effects exist because the training is educational, not medical. It teaches caregivers how to better support people with dementia. The training is well-received, as it involves learning new caregiving methods rather than medical treatments.

In summary, palliative care training for dementia caregivers is considered safe. It aims to enhance caregivers' skills, leading to better patient care without causing harm. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Palliative Care Training for Dementia because it focuses on educating caregivers, such as hospice nurses and social workers, to enhance the quality of life for dementia patients. Unlike standard treatments that often emphasize medication management, this approach enriches the caregiving experience through a structured training program. It aims to provide consistent, empathetic care that addresses the emotional and psychological needs of patients and their families, potentially filling gaps left by traditional medical treatments. By improving the skills and knowledge of caregivers, this training could lead to more holistic and personalized patient care.

What evidence suggests that this palliative care training is effective for improving dementia care outcomes?

Research has shown that learning about dementia can enhance people's understanding, confidence, and attitudes when caring for those with the condition. Reliable evidence suggests that palliative care services can ease symptoms and help individuals with terminal illnesses, like dementia, pass away at home if they prefer. This trial will test the DEDICATED approach, which aims to enhance palliative care for dementia by improving care quality through increased caregiver knowledge and teamwork. Additionally, both specialized and general palliative care benefit older adults with Alzheimer's and related dementias. These findings indicate that training in palliative care, as provided in this trial, can significantly improve care for those with dementia. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Debra Dobbs, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of South Florida

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for licensed nurses, administrators, and dementia care coordinators working in assisted living facilities. It aims to enhance their skills in providing palliative care specifically tailored for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Inclusion Criteria

I am the legal guardian, understand English, and am over 21.

AL community eligibility criteria include a minimum of 40+ beds and provide memory care services to at least 35% of their residents, and access to hospice services from Lifepath or Suncoast Hospice

I have been diagnosed with dementia, recently moved into assisted living, and have a legal representative who speaks English.

Exclusion Criteria

Staff who are not licensed nurses, administrators, or dementia care coordinators of a dementia care unit, or terminated/resigned before baseline data is collected

AL sites that are not a licensed Florida assisted living facility, have previously participated in a PCEAL-DCP clinical trial (2018-2021), or have no staff willing to participate in the study

I have a legal representative or family under 21 who don't understand English.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Palliative care education intervention for dementia care providers, consisting of weekly 1.5-hour sessions over 4 weeks

4 weeks

4 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for outcomes related to dementia care, including documentation of advance care planning and hospice use

6 months

3 visits (in-person)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Palliative Care Training

Trial Overview The PCEAL-DCP study tests a palliative care education program that spans over 4 weeks. Participants undergo training once a week for 1.5 hours, totaling 6 hours, designed to improve the quality of dementia care they provide.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention - Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Hospice nurses or social workers selected from LifePath and Suncoast Hospice organizations will train the AL interventionists on the PCEAL-DCP intervention. All hospice nurses and social workers who are facilitators will be licensed practical nurses, registered nurses or master's in social work. Prior to the intervention, the hospice facilitators will complete a four-hour workshop about the topics to cover and be trained on the protocol to follow for facilitation of the four-week PCEAL sessions so each cluster in the treatment group is trained in the same manner.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Wait-listed group will receive the PCEAL-DCP curriculum after completion of the study.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of South Florida

Lead Sponsor

Trials

433

Recruited

198,000+

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Collaborator

Trials

1,841

Recruited

28,150,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A pilot workshop for direct care providers in a British Columbia care home successfully promoted a palliative approach to dementia care, emphasizing the need for such care earlier in the disease progression rather than just at the end of life.

Participants reported increased knowledge, skills, and confidence in providing palliative care for residents with advanced dementia, indicating the workshop's effectiveness in enhancing care practices.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A palliative approach to care of residents with dementia. Roberts, D., Gaspard, G.[2019]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6620864/

Palliative care for people with dementia living at home They found reliable evidence that these services could reduce symptom burden and increase the chance that people with terminal diseases will die at home.

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748923000342

Effectiveness of dementia education for professional care ... Dementia education positively affects knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes towards dementia and people with dementia.

3. bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-025-13063-3

Impact of the DEDICATED approach to optimizing palliative ... The DEDICATED approach aims to enhance the quality of palliative dementia care by improving knowledge, competencies, and interprofessional collaboration of ...

4. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2829719

Palliative Care Program for Community-Dwelling ... In this randomized clinical trial, a dementia care management program with integrated palliative care did not significantly improve patients' neuropsychiatric ...

5. journals.lww.com journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/fulltext/2025/11000/impact_of_specialty_and_nonspecialty_palliative.8.aspx

Impact of Specialty and Nonspecialty Palliative Care on... Older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias can benefit from palliative care (PC). Whether specialty and nonspecialty PC have the same ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8482977/

Palliative Care of the Patient with Dementia - PMC Studies show positive benefits including better symptom control, including mood and quality of life increased attention to caregiver needs, feeling more in ...

7. trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-023-07614-4

Palliative care for persons with late-stage Alzheimer's and ... The purpose of this study was to conduct a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of the ADRD-Palliative Care (ADRD-PC) program.

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471595321000421

Dementia palliative care: A multi-site survey of long term ... Staff have significant learning needs in dementia palliative care despite training. The most cited learning needs are for medication and pain management.

9. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03773757

Indiana Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer's Care Efforts Family caregivers of patients with dementia experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, and an increased mortality risk. Dementia and ...