Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Georgina Charlesworth
ORCID ID
Contact details
Lecturer in Clinical & Hlth Psychology of Old Age
Centre for Behavioural & Social Science in Medicine
University College London
67-73 Charles Bell House
London
W1W 7EJ
United Kingdom
+44 (0)207 679 9334
g.charlesworth@ucl.ac.uk
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
HTA 99/34/07
Study information
Scientific title
Acronym
BECCA
Study hypothesis
1. To randomly allocate carers of people with dementia to one of two groups (access to an employed befriending facilitator vs. usual care) and follow-up for 3 years post-randomisation in order to compare: carer stress and coping strategies, quality of life in both the carers and people with dementia; resources use; and survival.
2. To document direct and indirect costs in both the intervention and control group, calculating the costs from the perspective of health, social and voluntary services and families involved in dementia care, and establish incremental cost-effectiveness.
3. To employ a befriending facilitator to collaborate with relevant voluntary agencies in recruiting, training and supporting befrienders, and matching befrienders to care dyads.
4. To disseminate project outputs including: effectiveness and cost effectiveness; model of befriender support and training.
Please note that the target number of participants was added as of 25/08/2009.
Ethics approval
Not provided at time of registration.
Study design
Randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Quality of life
Patient information sheet
Condition
Nervous system diseases: Dementia
Intervention
Access to an employed befriending facilitator vs. standard care
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Applicable
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Carer stress and coping strategies, quality of life in both the carers and people with dementia
Secondary outcome measures
Not provided at time of registration.
Overall trial start date
01/01/2002
Overall trial end date
30/09/2006
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
Carers of people with dementia
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
236
Participant exclusion criteria
Not provided at time of registration.
Recruitment start date
01/01/2002
Recruitment end date
30/09/2006
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Lecturer in Clinical & Hlth Psychology of Old Age
London
W1W 7EJ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
Department of Health (UK)
Sponsor details
Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7UE
United Kingdom
+44 (0)1132 545 843
Sheila.Greener@doh.gsi.gov.uk
Sponsor type
Government
Website
Funders
Funder type
Government
Funder name
NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme - HTA (UK)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Not provided at time of registration
Intention to publish date
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
2008 HTA monograph in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18284895
2008 results in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18505757
Publication citations
-
Results
Charlesworth G, Shepstone L, Wilson E, Reynolds S, Mugford M, Price D, Harvey I, Poland F, Befriending carers of people with dementia: randomised controlled trial., BMJ, 2008, 336, 7656, 1295-1297, doi: 10.1136/bmj.39549.548831.AE.
-
Charlesworth G, Shepstone L, Wilson E, Thalanany M, Mugford M, Poland F, Does befriending by trained lay workers improve psychological well-being and quality of life for carers of people with dementia, and at what cost? A randomised controlled trial., Health Technol Assess, 2008, 12, 4, iii, v-ix, 1-78.