title: Improving mood through physical activity for carers and care recipients (IMPACCT): protocol for a randomised trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Family carers play an important role in providing care for frail older Australians. Carers have increased rates of depression, burden and poor physical health compared with non-carers. Physical activity has been shown to improve outcomes; however there is limited research investigating outcomes in older carers and less on physical activity for both the carer and care recipient.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Does a home-based individualised physical activity intervention designed for both the carer and care recipient improve depression severity in older carers?
  
  
  METHODS
  273 community-dwelling carers with depressive symptoms and their care recipients will be recruited for a randomised controlled trial. Baseline assessment will consist of functional, psychological, and physical measures and information about service use. INTERVENTION AND CONTROL: Participants will be randomised to receive either a physical activity program (intervention), a social support program (social control), or usual care (control). The intervention and social control groups will have five home visits over six months.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants will be re-assessed after completion of the program and then six months later to evaluate sustainability of outcomes. The primary outcome measure is the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale for carers. Secondary outcomes include physical measures for carers and care recipients, carer burden, carer satisfaction, care recipient depression, and cost-effectiveness. All assessors will be blind to group allocation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has the potential to demonstrate that physical activity interventions can be delivered simultaneously to older carers and care recipients to improve mental and physical outcomes.
authors.forename: Briony
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dow
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russel
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cyarto
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haines
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lautenschlager
authors.forename: Lynette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loi
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D012107:Research Design