BALANCE: an 8-10 week support program for caregivers with physical or sensory disabilities
Building Active Living and Addressing Needs for Caregiver Empowerment (BALANCE) Study - Phase 4 of Designed With You
This 8-10 week program tries personalized resource navigation, self-care planning, emergency and end-of-life preparedness, and peer support for adults with physical or sensory disabilities who provide care for someone else, to improve well-being, access to resources, and social connection.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 20 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Johns Hopkins University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Baltimore, Maryland) |
| Trial ID | NCT07157995 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
The BALANCE intervention delivers individualized resource navigation, personalized self-care planning, emergency and end-of-life preparedness, and peer support over 8-10 weeks to caregivers with physical or sensory disabilities. This Phase 1 feasibility trial at Johns Hopkins examines whether the program can be delivered as planned, whether participants engage with the components, and whether study procedures are acceptable. There is no control group because the primary goal is to refine the intervention and study logistics rather than to measure comparative efficacy. Eligible participants are adults (18+) living in Maryland who self-report a physical or sensory disability and provide at least 10 hours per week of caregiving, with exclusions for terminal illness or severe cognitive impairment.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are community-dwelling adults in Maryland who self-identify as having a physical or sensory disability and who provide at least 10 hours per week of caregiving for a person with a disability or chronic illness.
Not a fit: People with an expected survival under one year or with severe cognitive impairment by the SPMQ are excluded and unlikely to receive benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help caregiver-participants feel less isolated, more prepared for emergencies and end-of-life issues, and better able to find and use community resources.
How similar studies have performed: Elements such as resource navigation and peer support have shown benefits in other caregiver programs, but the specific integrated BALANCE package is novel and has not yet been tested in larger efficacy trials.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age and older, * Community dwelling in the state of Maryland, * Self report of physical or sensory disability and * self-report of serving as a family caregiver for a person for at least 10 hours/week. Exclusion Criteria: * have a terminal diagnosis (\<1 year expected survival), and * \> severe cognitive impairment (5-7 errors) based on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMQ)
Where this trial is running
Baltimore, Maryland
- Johns Hopkins School of Nursing — Baltimore, Maryland, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Janiece Taylor, PhD, RN — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Janiece Taylor, PhD, RN
- Email: jwalke90@jhu.edu
- Phone: 443-287-4503
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.