Recruiting

essentiALZ & ECHO

Sponsor:

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Code:

NCT06239688

Conditions

Aging

Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Long-Term Care

Dementia

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

essentiALZ

Project ECHO

Study Details

Brief summary:

This project will compare two training models of an evidence-based online dementia care training program for direct care staff in assisted living to a waitlist control: 1) essentiALZ training and 2) essentiALZ training + Project ECHO. It will examine the extent to which each model is implemented and achieves its intended outcomes to improve staff knowledge and attitudes, change care practices, and improve the wellbeing of staff, residents, and residents' family members. Results will inform next steps in dementia care training for the assisted living (AL) and broader long-term care workforce.

To examine these outcomes, data will be collected from AL staff and families over the course of 6 months. Staff will complete questionnaires and participate in interviews (as applicable) at baseline, post-training, 3-months, and 6-months. Families will participate in interviews at baseline, 3-months, and 6-months.

Conditions

Aging

Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Long-Term Care

Dementia

Study ID

NCT06239688

Start date

Apr 12, 2024

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Apr 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Apr 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

AL Staff:

  • Staff (part-time, full-time, and including contract staff) who provide direct care to residents at the participating assisted living community (e.g., certified nursing assistants, personal care aides, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, activity directors, social workers, and others) as determined by the administrator/health care supervisor
  • Are 18 years of age or older
  • Are able to read and speak English fluently

Family:

  • Resident not expected to die or be transferred in the next six months at baseline
  • At follow-up, resident lived in AL community at least one month during the three months prior to interview date
  • Are a family member/legally authorized representative (LAR), or designated contact of a resident with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) of a participating AL community
  • Are 18 years of age or older
  • Are English speaking
  • Visit the resident at least monthly

Exclusion Criteria:

AL Staff \& Family:

\- Are under 18 years of age

Study Design

Enrollment

1764 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: essentiALZ

Communities randomized to this arm will receive the essentiALZ training: a web-based training taken by AL staff that contains three hours of self-paced content separated into five modules, plus a final review. Modules include: 1) Alzheimer's disease and dementia; 2) person-centered care; 3) assessment and care planning; 4) activities of daily living; and 5) behaviors and communication. Staff will be encouraged to take the training over the course of four weeks.

experimental: essentiALZ + ECHO

Communities randomized to this arm will receive the essentiALZ training: a web-based training taken by AL staff that contains three hours of self-paced content separated into five modules, plus a final review. Modules include: 1) Alzheimer's disease and dementia; 2) person-centered care; 3) assessment and care planning; 4) activities of daily living; and 5) behaviors and communication. Staff will be encouraged to take the training over the course of four weeks. Additionally, they will receive access to Project ECHO. ECHO is a virtual tele-mentoring model grounded in case-based learning. It includes six weekly one-hour sessions of didactic and discussive learning. The first five sessions will reflect the content of the five essentiALZ modules, and the final session will address maintenance. ECHO sessions are group sessions that will be conducted via Zoom.

no intervention: No Intervention

Standard care will be provided.

Interventions

essentiALZ

essentiALZ is a web-based training that contains three hours of self-paced content separated into five modules, plus a final review. Modules include: 1) Alzheimer's disease and dementia; 2) person-centered care; 3) assessment and care planning; 4) activities of daily living; and 5) behaviors and communication. Staff will be encouraged to take the training over the course of four weeks.

Project ECHO

ECHO is a virtual tele-mentoring model grounded in case-based learning. It includes six weekly one-hour sessions of didactic and discussive learning. The first five sessions will reflect the content of the five essentiALZ modules, and the final session will address maintenance. ECHO sessions are group sessions that will be conducted via Zoom.

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in Score Over Time of Sense of Competence in Dementia Care (SCIDS) [ Time Frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of the intervention and 6 additional months after the intervention ends, an expected average of 8 months ]
  • Change in Score Over Time of Staff Experience of Working with Residents with Dementia Questionnaire - Care Organization, Satisfactory Contact with the Patient, and Satisfaction with the Expectations of Others Subscales (SEWDRQ) [ Time Frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of the intervention and 6 additional months after the intervention ends, an expected average of 8 months ]
  • Change in Score Over Time of Dementia Attitude Scale - Short Form (DAS-6) [ Time Frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of the intervention and 6 additional months after the intervention ends, an expected average of 8 months ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Johanna Hickey, MSW

9198433085jvtsilbersack@unc.edu

Locations

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Recruiting

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599

Contacts

Johanna Hickey, MSW

919-843-3085jvtsilbersack@unc.edu

Principal Investigator:

Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Last update posted

Apr 13, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Keywords

  • Workplace Training

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill on 2026-04-13.