Clinical trial NCT06919094: A Virtual Life Story Club Intervention to Improve Loneliness and Apathy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Official title: A Virtual Life Story Club Intervention to Improve Loneliness and Apathy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Apathy
Loneliness
Reminiscence Therapy
Keywords: Apathy
Social Isolation
Loneliness
Reminiscence Therapy
Lead sponsor: Montefiore Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
First posted: 2025-04-09
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: Reminiscence therapy will be provided by the Life Story Club©. Participants will meet virtually via Zoom© with their group (6-10 people) weekly for one hour over a 12-week period to exchange life stories and share in conversation.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Reminiscence therapy is a non-invasive, non-pharmacological intervention that has been shown to improve cognition, mood, functional status, quality of life, and apathy in older adults. Group reminiscence therapy combines structured social engagement and recounting of personal stories that address both social connection (a risk factor for cognitive decline) and cognition. Life story club© (LSC) is an established, non-profit organization that provides virtual, group reminiscence therapy for older adults to reduce loneliness and promote a sense of belonging and has not been formally studied.

Detailed description: The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of a LSC© intervention to improve loneliness and apathy in community-dwelling older adults.

This pilot study will be conducted to compare loneliness and apathy in lonely individuals without dementia at baseline who receive a virtual group reminiscence therapy intervention (vGRT). The intervention will be delivered weekly over 12 weeks. Loneliness and apathy will be assessed before and after the intervention as described in the Outcome Measures section of this registration. Feasibility will be assessed using quantitative and qualitative measures including feasibility of screening and enrollment, acceptability, and program satisfaction. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of 30 individuals to explore acceptability, barriers, and facilitators of the intervention.

This study will provide evidence for the feasibility of a virtual group reminiscence therapy for community dwelling older adults to reduce loneliness and apathy. This approach is both innovative and pragmatic because it will leverage an existing community-based service, with an established infrastructure and track record within the community to deliver the intervention. As such, the proposed research has the potential for broad implications for community-based research and aligns with multiple translational science principles.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 60 and over
* English or Spanish fluency
* Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Dementia based on Aging and Dementia (AD8) score of ≥4 or previous dementia diagnosis
* Severe auditory or visual loss
* Lack of access to internet connection or phone

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Loneliness
timeFrame: From baseline to 3 months and 6 months
measure: Change in Apathy
timeFrame: From baseline to 3 months and 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in cognition
timeFrame: From baseline to 3 months and 6 months
measure: Change in Depressive Symptoms
timeFrame: From baseline to 3 months and 6 months
measure: Change in Meaning and Purpose
timeFrame: From baseline to 3 months and 6 months
measure: Change in Social Support
timeFrame: From baseline to 3 months and 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bronx
country: United States
facility: Montefiore Medical Center
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Montefiore Medical Center
name: Mirnova Ceide, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Allen AP, Doyle C, Roche RAP. The Impact of Reminiscence on Autobiographical Memory, Cognition and Psychological Well-Being in Healthy Older Adults. Eur J Psychol. 2020 May 29;16(2):317-330. doi: 10.5964/ejop.v16i2.2097. eCollection 2020 May.
citation: Choy JCP, Lou VWQ. Effectiveness of the Modified Instrumental Reminiscence Intervention on Psychological Well-Being Among Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Jan;24(1):60-69. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2015.05.008. Epub 2015 May 19.
citation: Cuevas PEG, Davidson PM, Mejilla JL, Rodney TW. Reminiscence therapy for older adults with Alzheimer's disease: A literature review. Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2020 Jun;29(3):364-371. doi: 10.1111/inm.12692. Epub 2020 Jan 26.
citation: Kirk M, Rasmussen KW, Overgaard SB, Berntsen D. Five weeks of immersive reminiscence therapy improves autobiographical memory in Alzheimer's disease. Memory. 2019 Apr;27(4):441-454. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2018.1515960. Epub 2018 Sep 8.
citation: Platel H, Eustache ML, Coppalle R, Viard A, Eustache F, Groussard M, Desgranges B. Boosting Autobiographical Memory and the Sense of Identity of Alzheimer Patients Through Repeated Reminiscence Workshops? Front Psychol. 2021 Feb 15;12:636028. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636028. eCollection 2021.
citation: Syed Elias SM, Neville C, Scott T. The effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy for loneliness, anxiety and depression in older adults in long-term care: a systematic review. Geriatr Nurs. 2015 Sep-Oct;36(5):372-80. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2015.05.004. Epub 2015 Jun 19.
citation: Saragih ID, Tonapa SI, Yao CT, Saragih IS, Lee BO. Effects of reminiscence therapy in people with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2022 Dec;29(6):883-903. doi: 10.1111/jpm.12830. Epub 2022 Apr 17.
citation: Lok N, Bademli K, Selcuk-Tosun A. The effect of reminiscence therapy on cognitive functions, depression, and quality of life in Alzheimer patients: Randomized controlled trial. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 Jan;34(1):47-53. doi: 10.1002/gps.4980. Epub 2018 Sep 24.