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VICA: A Virtual Care Assistant for Dementia Caregivers
Sponsor: Indiana University
Summary
This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluates the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of VICA, an AI-powered virtual care assistant that delivers evidence-based education, symptom monitoring, and coaching to informal caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Sixty caregiver-patient dyads will be randomized 1:1 to VICA or an attention-control education app (Dementia Guide Expert) for 3 months. The study will assess recruitment, VICA acceptance/usability, and engagement (Aim 1), and estimate effect sizes for reducing patient behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and caregiver distress (Aim 2).
Official title: Virtual Informal Care Assistant for Alzheimer'S-related Dementia (VICA): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
21 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
120
Start Date
2026-08-17
Completion Date
2027-05-30
Last Updated
2026-08-21
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
VICA - Virtual Informal Care Assistant
An AI-powered avatar delivering conversational, speech-to-speech and text-based education, resource information, and symptom-monitoring support to informal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), grounded in the ABC collaborative dementia care model via a retrieval-augmented generation system.
Education only BPSD mobile app
Access to Dementia Guide Expert, an existing free, education-only BPSD mobile app (ENGAGE-IL initiative, University of Illinois at Chicago), used on the same 3x/week, \~20 minute schedule for 3 months. No interactive coaching, assessment, or personalized response.
Locations (1)
Eskanazi Health
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States