Life Story Club for Loneliness and Apathy

(LSC Feasible Trial)

Overseen By Mirnova Ceide, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Montefiore Medical Center

Disqualifiers: Dementia, Severe sensory loss, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 12

Duration: 12 weeks

50 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. Since this is a non-drug therapy, it's likely you can continue your medications, but you should confirm with the trial organizers.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Life Story Club for Loneliness and Apathy?

Research shows that life review therapy, which involves reflecting on personal life stories, can effectively reduce depressive symptoms in older adults. This suggests that similar storytelling-based treatments, like Life Story Club, might help with loneliness and apathy. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Life Story Club intervention safe for humans?

The Life Story Club intervention, similar to life review therapy, has been studied in older adults and found to be feasible and acceptable, with no significant safety concerns reported in the studies reviewed. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

How is the Life Story Club treatment different from other treatments for loneliness and apathy?

The Life Story Club treatment is unique because it uses storytelling and personal narratives to address loneliness and apathy, which is different from traditional treatments that might focus on medication or cognitive therapies. This approach allows participants to reflect on and share their life experiences, potentially improving mental health and social connections. ^{2 8 10 11 12}

What is the purpose of this trial?

Reminiscence therapy is a non-invasive, non-pharmacological intervention that has been shown to improve cognition, mood, functional status, quality of life, and apathy in older adults. Group reminiscence therapy combines structured social engagement and recounting of personal stories that address both social connection (a risk factor for cognitive decline) and cognition. Life story club© (LSC) is an established, non-profit organization that provides virtual, group reminiscence therapy for older adults to reduce loneliness and promote a sense of belonging and has not been formally studied.

Research Team

Mirnova Ceide, MD

Principal Investigator

Montefiore Medical Center

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for community-dwelling older adults who are experiencing loneliness or apathy. Participants should be interested in joining virtual group sessions where they share personal stories as a form of reminiscence therapy.

Inclusion Criteria

I am 60 years old or older.

Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

Dementia based on Aging and Dementia (AD8) score of ≥4 or previous dementia diagnosis

Lack of access to internet connection or phone

I have severe hearing or vision loss.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive virtual group reminiscence therapy intervention weekly

12 weeks

12 virtual sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in loneliness, apathy, cognition, and other measures

3 months

Extended Follow-up

Further monitoring of participants for changes in primary and secondary outcomes

additional 3 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Life Story Club

Trial Overview The Life Story Club, which conducts virtual group reminiscence therapy, is being tested to see if it can reduce feelings of loneliness and apathy among older adults by promoting social engagement and cognition.

Participant Groups

Group I: Life Story Club Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Virtual Group Reminiscence Therapy

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Montefiore Medical Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

468

Recruited

599,000+

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Collaborator

Trials

394

Recruited

404,000+

Findings from Research

Home-based interventions significantly improve social connectedness and reduce loneliness and depressive symptoms among older adults, based on a meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials.

Interventions lasting more than three months and delivered through mixed platforms (like online and in-person) were particularly effective, suggesting that the format and duration of these programs are important for their success.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of home-based interventions in improving loneliness and social connectedness among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chua, CMS., Chua, JYX., Shorey, S.[2023]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Life review therapy for older adults with moderate depressive symptomatology: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. [2012]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Development of LISTEN: A Novel Intervention for Loneliness. [2022]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Who often feels lonely? A cross-sectional study about loneliness and its related factors among older home-dwelling people. [2019]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of home-based interventions in improving loneliness and social connectedness among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. [2023]

5. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Older adults' experiences of loneliness over the lifecourse: An exploratory study using the BBC loneliness experiment. [2022]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Interventions for Loneliness Among Adult Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Feasibility and Acceptability of LISTEN for Loneliness. [2022]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomised controlled study to explore the effect of life story review on depression in older Chinese in Singapore. [2019]

9. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Narrating the nadir: examining personal and vicarious stories of cancer-related low points among survivors and romantic partners. [2020]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Improving depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults: a psychosocial intervention using life review and writing. [2022]

11. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Life review and life story books for people with mild to moderate dementia: a randomised controlled trial. [2022]

12. Korea (South) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of Logo-autobiography Program on Meaning in Life and Mental Health in the Wives of Alcoholics. [2014]