About CareEx
What is CareEx?
CareEx is a research project funded by the National Institute on Aging that aims to understand the experiences of grandchildren, siblings, nieces/nephews, and step-family caregivers of relatives with dementia. CareEx uses telephone interviews to learn about family caregivers and their service use, needs and challenges. The findings of this project will be used to develop more effective services and programs to support family caregivers and enhance the quality of life of persons with dementia.
Am I eligible to participate in CareEx?
You may be eligible to participate in the CareEx project if your relative with dementia does not live in an assisted living facility or nursing home AND you are:
- 18 years and older;
- Helping your relative with dementia with everyday tasks;
- The grandchild, sibling, niece/nephew or step-family member (any relationship) of a person with dementia;
- A resident of Virginia or surrounding states; and
- Having face-to-face contact with the person with dementia at least 3 days/week.
You must meet all of these conditions to take part.
I'm interested. How do I join?
Click on this form if you are interested in joining the study or contact the CareEx team at 540-231-9250 or email us at CareEx@vt.edu. To view or download the CareEx Flier, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
We plan to interview 360 family caregivers by 2025.
Once you give verbal consent to participate in CareEx , you will take part in an initial telephone interview with a member of the CareEx team. This interview will last about an hour. After this interview, you will be called on eight consecutive evenings for a 15-minute telephone interview.
In the first telephone interview, we will ask you about your family relationships and how you came to be a caregiver. The interviewer will also ask about how you help your relative with dementia, and if anyone else helps you. Helpers could be friends, other family members, paid persons, or services in the community. The interviewer will also ask about the usefulness of helpers and any difficulties in arranging support from others.
On the 8 evening phone interviews, the interviewer will ask about your activities and the care you gave to your relative that day. The interviewer will also ask if you received help from others and any difficulties you may have had getting support.
You would receive a $30 gift card to thank you for the first telephone call. We will add $10 to the gift card for each evening call. Participants could receive up to $110 in gift cards for full participation.
All discussion between the interviewer and you will be confidential and shared only with other members of the research team. Portions of the first telephone interview will be audio-recorded to help the interviewer take better notes of the conversation.
The results of this project will be presented in summary form. No identifying information about you or your name will be used in academic papers, reports to the funding agency, research presentations, or transcripts of the audio-recordings.
The Virginia Tech Human Research Protection Program (i.e., IRB), which is responsible for the oversight of the protection of human subjects involved in research, may view the study’s data for auditing purposes.
Very little is known about extended family caregivers such as grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews or step-kin who care for people with dementia. Your answers will help us understand how families manage and cope when caring for a relative with dementia. The information will be useful to older adults, family members, and professionals who help with memory loss.
You are free to end the telephone interview at any time, without any penalty. You would receive compensation for the interviews you last participated in.
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, or think the research has hurt you, you can contact the project leaders or study coordinators at 540-231-9250 or email us at CareEx@vt.edu.
You can also contact the Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board (IRB) at 540-231-3721 if:
- You have questions about your rights as a research subject;
- Your questions, concerns or complaints are not being answered by the research team;
- You cannot reach the research team; or
- You want to talk to someone besides the research team to provide feedback about this research.