None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will investigate the feasibility and acceptability of an eight-week behavioural activation programme, delivered by volunteers, designed to improve the wellbeing of residents in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), a group known to experience high levels of depression. The programme will involve training approximately 10 volunteers in behavioural activation (BA) techniques over two half-day training sessions. The volunteers will then work with aged care residents twice per week for eight weeks to deliver the BA programme. Behavioural activation is a well-supported treatment for depression that aims to improve mood by using a structured approach to increasing participation in enjoyable activities. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of an 8-week volunteer-led BA intervention for RACF residents. The secondary aim of this study is to collect preliminary data to investigate if the intervention shows promise in being effective in reducing psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety) and improving the well-being of approximately 20 aged care residents.
Interventions
The behavioral activation intervention consisted of eight hours of face-to-face contact between resident participant and volunteer delivered over the course of 8 weeks. Sessions occurred in either one hour or 30 minute blocks, totaling one hour of contact per week. A buffer of up to three weeks was provided, should sessions need to be rescheduled e.g. to illness. Volunteers delivered the intervention to their assigned resident on site at the resident’s aged care facility.
Volunteers were requi
The behavioral activation intervention consisted of eight hours of face-to-face contact between resident participant and volunteer delivered over the course of 8 weeks. Sessions occurred in either one hour or 30 minute blocks, totaling one hour of contact per week. A buffer of up to three weeks was provided, should sessions need to be rescheduled e.g. to illness. Volunteers delivered the intervention to their assigned resident on site at the resident’s aged care facility. Volunteers were required to attend two half-day training workshops delivered by a clinical psychologist prior to participating in the study. The training consisted of didadic material relating to behavioural activation and depression. It also included interactive role-plays, where volunteers practiced their behavioural activation skills. Volunteers also received weekly supervision phone calls from a member of the research team to support them in their delivery of behavioural activation. The structure of each behavioural activation session is as follows: 1. Review Homework: Review resident’s activity schedule from the previous week. Discuss any problems or issues that arose while using the activity schedule. 2. Help resident to notice links between their behaviour and their mood: Using the activity schedule, volunteers inquired about any links that the resident noticed between their activities and mood. 3. Introduce and explore weekly theme: Volunteers were provided with trail specific resources for six domains of pleasant activities: Physical activity, relaxation, creativity, kindness, relationships and savouring. From weeks 3-8, volunteers were invited to introduce one of these themes to the resident, and explore a suitable activity relating to the theme that could be scheduled for the week ahead. 4. Activity scheduling for the week ahead: From weeks two onward, volunteers worked with the resident to plan pleasant activities for the week ahead using an activity scheduling sheet. Adherence was measured through weekly phone calls with a member of the research team (to ensure at least one weekly visit had taken place), and also through collecting records of the activity sheets and session notes written up by the volunteers.
Sponsors
National Aging Research Institute
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Aged Care Residents: Adult aged 65 or over who was a full-time resident in one of three Benatas aged care facilities in the Melbourne region, VIC, Australia. They were also required to have at least mild symptoms of depression, defined as a score of at least 6 on the PHQ-9. Healthy volunteers, delivering the Behavioural activation intervention: Healthy adult volunteers were required to be aged 18 or over, and were screened for suitability by the aged care facility.
Exclusion criteria
Resident participants: Presence of a medically diagnosed severe cognitive impairment; non-English language.
Outcome results
None listed