Can volunteer training ease the burden of dementia?
NCT ID NCT05550727
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
The PorchLight Project tests whether training senior volunteers can improve care for people with memory loss or Alzheimer's disease. Over 340 volunteers and clients in Minnesota are taking part. The training includes online modules, a course, and monthly check-ins. Researchers will measure changes in volunteer skills, client loneliness, and overall quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- PorchLight training program (online modules, course, and check-ins for volunteers)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that training volunteers is a cost-effective way to improve support and quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a pragmatic trial embedded in real-world operations, so results may be less controlled and harder to interpret. It does not test a new drug or treatment, so any benefits are likely modest and supportive.
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 342 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2022
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
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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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: In keeping with the incorporation of pragmatic design elements, the eligibility criteria of volunteers and persons with AD/ADRD is deliberately lax in order to best reflect LSS-MN "routine practice." Participants must be either a volunteer or client involved in the LSS-MN standard Caregiver \& Companion Program service programs. Programmatic and survey data on the volunteers, clients, and proxies involved will be shared with the UMN team. While all data received may be analyzed (see analysis section below), data analysis is expected to focus on those who meet the following additional criteria: * Volunteers who are listed in the LSS database. * Clients with cognitive concerns (i.e. minor confusion, memory loss, diagnosis for their memory loss, or concerns about cognition) via the LSS-MN surveys and/or the LSS-MN CRM database. If memory loss is indicated via the database or survey, it will be assumed that the client has memory loss, even if there are discrepancies. Due to the nature of the data, we expect discrepancies to exist and will document other decisions made during analysis. Exclusion Criteria: As data is made available, the UMN research team expects to receive survey data from all the clients and volunteers in LSS-MN Caregiver \& Companion Services programming who complete the surveys, and those included in the LSS database. Since LSS-MN administers surveys to every client and volunteer involved in their LSS-MN Caregiver \& Companion program (as able), data likely will be obtained from individuals who do not meet the memory-specific criteria. However, as needed, UMN may choose to exclude one or more of the following from analysis. Again, the researcher/research staff best judgement will be used when conducting analyses and will document decisions accordingly: ● Clients who do not have memory loss In addition, any client and volunteer can choose to not complete surveys, so we would not have survey data from those individuals, and may continue with routine attempts at surveying at the next data collection time-point. Missing surveys may be considered during analysis. Please note: Due to the eligibility criteria for volunteers and clients in the LSS-MN program, we do not anticipate any data for those under 18 years of age. Although the real-world, pragmatic design will allow us to include caregivers under the age of 21), it is important to note that LSS-MN's most recent data on caregivers participating in their volunteer programs indicate none under the age of 21
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Minnesota (with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
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