Care Buddy: a mobile app connecting family caregivers of people with dementia to community services and support

Connecting Caregivers With Community Services: The Care Buddy Platform

This project will test a mobile app called Care Buddy to help family caregivers of people with dementia find services, coordinate care, and get social and decisional support.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 210 (estimated)
• Ages: 21 Years to 80 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Singapore, Singapore)
• Trial ID: NCT06817876 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Over five years the team will design and build the Care Buddy app, then refine it with caregivers in a proof-of-concept phase and measure feasibility, acceptability, and satisfaction in a proof-of-value phase. They will next run a multi-centre, two-arm randomized controlled trial comparing Care Buddy to usual care to measure effects on caregiver burden, service uptake, and cost-effectiveness. Finally, investigators plan to scale up deployment across multiple centres in Singapore and monitor adoption, outcomes, and implementation barriers. Key outcomes include caregiver burden (Zarit), user satisfaction, community service utilization, care coordination metrics, and economic analyses.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal participants are English-speaking Singaporean citizens or permanent residents aged 21 or older who are family members serving as primary informal caregivers for at least six months (and planning to continue for two years), are familiar with basic digital technology, reachable by phone, score ≥9 on the 6‑item Zarit Burden scale, and have intact cognition per the AMT if aged ≥65.

Not a fit: Caregivers of people already in long-term residential care, non-family or short-term caregivers, those who cannot read English or lack basic digital access or skills, and caregivers with low burden scores are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, Care Buddy could make it easier for caregivers to access services and support, reduce caregiver burden, and improve care coordination and outcomes for people with dementia.

How similar studies have performed: Previous digital-support programs for dementia caregivers have shown mixed but promising benefits in pilot studies, but large multi-centre RCTs and fully integrated, service-linking platforms at scale remain limited.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* The inclusion criteria for patients are

  1. Singaporean/Permanent residents
  2. Age 21 years of age or older
  3. Main person or one of the main persons involved in making decisions regarding treatment patient receives or responsible for ensuring the well-being of the patient
  4. An active primary caregiver for at least 6 months, and planning to remain the primary caregiver for the next 2 years
  5. Is a family member of the patient with dementia
  6. Can read and write in English
  7. Accessible by telephone to schedule interviews
  8. Has familiarity with use of technology (e.g., computers, tablets, or internet) and is able to complete surveys, forms using digital technology
  9. Intact cognition determined through the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) for those who are ≥ 65 years old.
  10. Caregivers who score \>=9 on the 6-item Zarit Burden scale

Exclusion Criteria:

* Caregivers of patients staying in nursing home or other long-term care facility with no intention of being discharged will not be eligible however, if the patient is admitted to respite care for short/long term duration after being recruited, caregivers can continue to participate.

Where this trial is running

Singapore, Singapore

• Duke-NUS — Singapore, Singapore, Singapore (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Chetna Malhotra, MD, MPH

Conditions Dementia