MEMORI Corps: Activity-based Companion Care for Dementia

This project adapts a novel activity-based companion care model (MEMORI Corps) for community-living persons with dementia for a virtual delivery format, and then implements the intervention in a pilot, two-arm, randomized controlled trial to evaluate intervention acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy versus an augmented waitlist control. The goals of the program are to reduce social isolation and improve health and well-being for PWD, reduce burden and support family CGs, and to provide health benefits and meaningful engagement for older volunteer Companion Guides. The target group is 60 dyads (persons living with dementia and their informal co-residing caregiver) and 36 companion guides (health volunteer 55 years of age and older). Participants are randomized 1:1 either to the intervention or waitlist control group. Waitlist participants are offered the opportunity for cross-over into active intervention group. PWD/CG outcomes will be assessed at Baseline, 6-, and 12-weeks (PWD/CG participation lasts 12 weeks). Volunteer Companion Guide outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 6-, and 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. It could also serve as an intervention for dementia risk-reduction and brain health if found to be efficacious. Specific aims are to: Aim 1: Adapt and refine the MEMORI Corps intervention for a virtual delivery format using iterative user-centered design principles and multiple stakeholder input. Aim 2: Conduct a pilot, two-arm, randomized controlled trial to evaluate acceptability, feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of the MEMORI Corps intervention (vs. wait list control group) in 60 community-living person's living with demential (PLWD) and informal caregiver dyads and 36 volunteer companion guides from geographically and demographically diverse regions in Maryland. Aim 3: Evaluate the feasibility of ascertainment of community-living PLWD, caregiver, and volunteer-level outcomes over time using virtual and telephonic data collection methods.