Inmate Caregiver Training for Aging in Prisons

Recruiting at 2 trial locations

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Klein Buendel, Inc.

Disqualifiers: Under 18, Non-English speakers

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

53 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The demographics of the U.S. prison population are shifting at a dramatic rate requiring new approaches to prison healthcare. Current estimates suggest that there are 2.3 million incarcerated persons in the U.S. Similar to the free world, the aging of the Baby Boom generation is occurring in prisons. Notably, inmates 50 and older constitute over 20% of prisoners in state or federal facilities. From 1996-2016, there was an 280% growth in the number of state and federal prisoners age 55 or older, which is in sharp contrast to younger inmates that grew by only 3% during this time period. A surge in older adult offenders in the U.S. has not occurred but rather statutes now impose stiffer sentences, resulting in longer periods of incarceration, such as life without parole or 20+ years. At the same time, early release policies remain restrictive. As a result, sentenced offenders are living through middle and older adulthood within the confines of prisons.

Research Team

Barbara Walkosz, PhD

Principal Investigator

Klein Buendel, Inc.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adult inmates who are already providing geriatric or end-of-life care in participating state prisons, as well as prison staff involved with inmate caregiving. Participants must be over 18, speak and understand English, and able to give consent.

Inclusion Criteria

I am an inmate providing care for elderly or terminally ill patients in a state prison.

Able to speak and understand English

Able to consent

Exclusion Criteria

Unable to speak and understand English

I am under 18 years old.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Development and Training

Development of a full-scale media-rich interactive computer-based learning system Inmates Care, consisting of six modules for inmate caregiving training.

6 months

Ongoing development and testing

Usability Testing

Conduct in-person usability testing of the Inmates Care program in two rounds to evaluate logistics, impressions, and user interface.

2 months

2 rounds of testing

Scale-up Testing

Test scale-up of the Inmates Care program in state prisons to evaluate knowledge acquisition outcomes and usage patterns.

3 months

Multiple site visits

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for knowledge retention and program effectiveness after training.

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Inmates Care

Trial Overview The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of e-training programs for inmate peer caregivers. It focuses on improving care for aging prisoners and those nearing the end of life within the U.S. prison system.

Participant Groups

Group I: Inmates Care modules Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This is a within-subjects, pre-post design with a single intervention. The intervention is a 6 module computer-based learning program for training peer caregivers in end-of-life care.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Klein Buendel, Inc.

Lead Sponsor

Trials

41

Recruited

20,000+

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Collaborator

Trials

1,841

Recruited

28,150,000+

Penn State University

Collaborator

Trials

380

Recruited

131,000+