The Nighttime Insomnia Treatment and Education for Canadians with Alzheimer’s Disease (NITE-CAD) team is lifestyle intervention program to support care partners in helping improve sleep in people living with dementia.
This program is an 6-week program that consists of:
- Three 60-minute in-person educational and group discussion sessions, and two individual phone-call check-ins
- 30-minutes of daily physical activity. All physical activity will be self-directed, and physical activity suggestions will be provided. All fitness levels and experience are welcome.
- The group educational discussions will cover sleep and dementia, how lifestyle can impact sleep, and strategies to improve sleep. These discussions will be supported with fact sheets for additional information on each topic.
- 60-minutes of daily exposure to bright light, using a light box.
- Recording your physical activity and light-exposure patterns.
We are looking for care partners for persons living with dementia experiencing difficulties with their sleep to take part in the NITE-CAD program to help assess the feasibility, enjoyment and possible adaptations of the program.
You will be asked to complete a number of screening questionnaires to assess eligibility and safety to participate. If eligible, you will be asked to complete some brief questionnaires (approx. 30-60 minutes) about your current sleep, physical activity habits and your mental and emotional well-being both before and after completion of the program. We will also ask that you provide us some feedback about your experience in the program, in the form of a focus group (approx. 60-90 minutes) during the final session.
This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board.
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact the student investigator, Tara Kuhn, at nitecad@uwaterloo.ca