STELLA Family of Studies
Support via Technology: Living and Learning with Advancing dementia
Welcome to STELLA!
We offer support options for families caring for those with dementia. Each option is a research study that tests ways to help families manage the challenges that come with dementia caregiving. We hope you’ll find a good fit here.
Our Story
The STELLA studies started in 2016 with a grant from the Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Over the years, we have tested several types of the STELLA intervention including STAR-C Telemedicine, Tele-STAR, STELLA, and STELLA-FTD (pilot). Our current study, Tele-STELLA, will be active until December 2025 and we are now launching our new study, STELLA-R. Check back soon for more information. You can find out more from the publications listed at the bottom of this page.
Background
All of the STELLA studies are framed by Dr. Linda Teri's work at the University of Washington. Dr. Teri found that teaching care partners the "ABCs" of caregiving helped them manage upsetting behaviors. Dr. Allison Lindauer worked with Dr. Teri to update STELLA and make it available via telehealth, which provides easier access to a wider community. You can read more in the publication below:
Teri L, McCurry SM, Logsdon R, Gibbons LE. Training community consultants to help family members improve dementia care: a randomized controlled trial. Gerontologist. 2005 Dec;45(6):802-11. doi: 10.1093/geront/45.6.802. PMID: 16326662.
Tele-STELLA
The Tele-STELLA study uses video conferencing with professional Guides and other care partners to teach the ABC approach to help manage troubling behaviors associated with dementia. Tele-STELLA is for people living anywhere in the United States
STELLA-R (Coming Soon)
STELLA-R is an online, self-directed, 8-week lesson program that teaches care partners about the ABC approach and introduces you to the different kinds of professionals that can help you on our caregiving journey. STELLA-R is for people living in Oregon, Washington or Idaho.
Learn more about the differences between Tele-STELLA and STELLA-R in the graphic below or view a larger version by clicking here.
Tele-STELLA Principal Investigator
Tele-STELLA Co-Investigator
Guides
Staff
Emily Tupper, BA
Tele-STELLA Research Coordinator
Christina Zonker, BA
STELLA-R Research Coordinator
Stephanie Irish
Tele-STELLA Technology Assistant
Lindauer, A., Smith, S., Gothard, S., Mattek, N., Tran, L., & Mooney, A. (2023). ‘There’s no straight line...’ a consumer-informed intervention for FTD family care partners: the STELLA-FTD pilot study. Aging Ment Health, 27(10), 2000-2010. doi:10.1080/13607863.2023.2250741
Lindauer, A., Messecar, D., McKenzie, G., Gibson, A., Wharton, W., Bianchi, A., Tarter, R., Tadesse, R., Boardman, C., Golonka, O., Gothard, S., & Dodge, H.H. (2021). The Tele-STELLA protocol: Telehealth-based support for families living with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease. J Adv Nurs, 77(10), 4254-4267. doi:10.1111/jan.14980
Lindauer, A., McKenzie, G., LaFazia, D., McNeill, L., Mincks, K., Spoden, N., Marcella, M., Mattek, N., & Teri, L.L. (2019). Using technology to facilitate fidelity assessments: The TeleSTAR caregiver intervention. J Med Internet Res, 21(5), e13599. doi:10.2196/13599
Thomas, N.W.D., Lindauer, A., & Kaye, J. (2019). EVALUATE-AD and Tele-STAR: Novel methodologies for assessment of caregiver burden in a telehealth caregiver intervention A case study. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord, 47(3), 176-184. doi:10.1159/000497805
Lindauer, A., Croff, R., Mincks, K., Mattek, N., Shofner, S.J., Bouranis, N., & Teri, L. (2018). “It took the stress out of getting help”: The STAR-C-telemedicine mixed methods pilot. Care Wkly, 2, 7-14. doi:10.14283/cw.2018.4
Lindauer, A., & Harvath, T.A. (2014). Pre-death grief in the context of dementia caregiving: a concept analysis. J Adv Nurs, 70(10), 2196-2207. doi:10.1111/jan.12411
Current Funders
NIH National Institute on Aging. Tele-STELLA: R01AG067546 - Ends July 31, 2026
Oregon Health & Science University Foundation through a grant from The Hart Family Foundation. STELLA-R - Anticipated end date of June 2026
Contact Us
For Tele-STELLA:
Email: telestella@ohsu.edu
Call/Text: 503-701-8566
For STELLA-R:
Email: stella@ohsu.edu
Call/Text: 503-816-8310
Research Studies
View our current and upcoming caregiver research studies:
Are you a researcher wanting access to the data?
Please fill out the form below.