New online therapy could help homebound seniors beat depression
NCT ID NCT06584422
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing a digital mental health program called Empower@Home for homebound older adults (age 50+) with depression. The program includes online self-help sessions, a workbook, and phone coaching from trained staff. Researchers will compare it to usual care in 256 participants to see if it reduces depressive symptoms and improves social support over 36 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Empower@Home online cognitive-behavioral therapy program with telephone coaching
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide an accessible, low-cost treatment option for depression in homebound older adults who have limited access to care.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small trial (256 participants) testing a behavioral intervention, so results may not apply broadly. The program requires internet access and phone coaching, which may limit participation.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 256 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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50 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * (1) be receiving or eligible to receive services at the recruitment sites * (2) read and speak English * (3) be at least 50 years old * (4) have at least moderate depressive symptoms at screening (≥ 8 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 \[PHQ-9\]). * (5) Participants who are NOT currently receiving outside therapy must agree NOT to start outside therapy during study participation. Participants who are currently receiving outside therapy must agree NOT to increase their outside therapy frequency during study participation. Exclusion Criteria: * (1) probable dementia based on the Blessed Orientation and Memory Scale. * (2) moderate or high risk of suicide based on the 6-item Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale * (3) a terminal illness with less than six months to live or unstable physical health conditions based on self-report * (4) a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder based on self-report and medical chart review * (5) severe vision impairment based on self-report (i.e., legally blind) * (6) current substance use disorders or receiving substance use treatment. * (7) currently receiving outside therapy more frequently than once a month or have started a new therapy treatment less than 3 months ago
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
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