The PorchLight Project

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $655,080 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract The proposed R01 project will feature a robust collaboration between Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS-MN) and the University of Minnesota to evaluate the “Porchlight Project,” a novel adaption of its volunteer programs that serve older persons with Alzheimer’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease related dementia (AD/ADRD). The Porchlight Project is multicomponent training delivered to volunteers and includes three established online training modules on person-centered dementia care; a four-session online training program that demonstrates to volunteers how to apply person-centered dementia care knowledge to their interactions with persons with dementia and their caregivers; and ongoing monthly coaching sessions. We will evaluate the real-world efficacy of the Porchlight Project throughout Minnesota and randomly assign a minimum of 171 persons with AD/ADRD, family caregivers, and volunteers across 19 Regional Program Coordinator regions to one of two groups: one that receives the Porchlight Project over a 12-month period and a usual care control condition that receives standard volunteer support. An embedded experimental mixed methods design will be utilized that will incorporate various qualitative data collection elements within the 12-month randomized controlled evaluation of the Porchlight Project (Stage III of the NIH Stage Model). Twelve month outcomes that we hypothesize the Porchlight Project will influence include: 1) increased volunteer competence; 2) increases in quality of life and reduced loneliness for the person with AD/ADRD; and 3) increased self-efficacy, decreased stress, and improved well-being for caregivers. The Porchlight Project offers a potentially efficient, wide-ranging service model for states and communities to implement that can facilitate the “dementia capability” of their various volunteer programs. Moreover, creating effective linkages to community-based long-term services and supports addresses several goals of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease as well as the recent Dementia Care Services and Support summits.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10370212
Project number
1R01AG075890-01
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Principal Investigator
JOSEPH E. GAUGLER
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2022
Award amount
$655,080
Award type
1
Project period
2022-02-01 → 2027-01-31