Effectiveness of Telephonic Aging Brain Care Model for Medicaid Home and Community Services

Strategic Insights -

A newly published study has provided insights into the implementation and evaluation of the ABC Community program, a community-based and telephonically administered version of the Aging Brain Care model. The program aimed to reduce the burden of dementia symptoms and improve the quality of life and stress of informal caregivers. The study, conducted by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, involved 422 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services participants living with dementia and their caregivers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ABC Community program demonstrated a 37% reduction in the total score of the Health Aging Brain Care (HABC) Monitor at 6 months, representing a significant improvement in the burden of dementia symptoms.
  • The program served 422 Medicaid participants living with dementia, with a mean age of 78 years, 67% identifying as female, and 30% belonging to minority groups, including 6% Hispanic or Latino and 28% Black or African American.
  • The HABC Monitor, used to measure the burden of dementia symptoms and quality of life and stress of informal caregivers, demonstrated excellent reliability and validity.
  • The ABC Community program might be a scalable collaborative dementia care model targeting socially vulnerable people living with dementia.
  • This study utilized a prospective pre-post implementation design with pre-specified effectiveness and fidelity goals, making it a robust evaluation of the program's effectiveness.
  • The study found a significant reduction in the burden of dementia symptoms for participants, highlighting the potential of the ABC Community program as a valuable resource for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services.

Statistics:

  • The total score of the HABC Monitor decreased from 24.6 to 15.4 at 6 months, representing a 37% reduction.
  • The effect size of the reduction was 0.64 standard deviation.
  • 422 participants were served by the ABC Community program, with a mean age of 78 years.
  • 67% of participants identified as female and 30% belonged to minority groups.
  • 6% of participants identified as Hispanic or Latino and 28% identified as Black or African American.

Sources:

  • Effectiveness of a Telephonic Aging Brain Care Model for Medicaid Home and Community Services for Dementia Patients and Their Caregivers. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025.
  • Journal of the American Geriatrics Society can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - www.wiley.com/; Journal of the American Geriatrics Society - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1532-5415)
  • NewsRx. Findings from Indiana University School of Medicine Update Understanding of Dementia (Effectiveness of a Telephonic Aging Brain Care Model for Medicaid Home and Community Services for Dementia Patients and Their Caregivers). Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 13, 2025; p 19.