Research

The “Time for Living and Caring” (TLC) tool was created by a team of researchers at the University of Utah, thanks to generous funding from the National Institute on Aging

The research team used a clinical-trials study design with nearly 200 caregivers to measure the feasibility, usability, and efficacy of the TLC tool. For more information about the research study or to get access to some of the published results:  Link to results

All de-identified data from the TLC study are archived and publicly available through the Hive Data Repository at the University of Utah : (DOI:10.7278/S50d-2rgg-4549)

If you have questions about the TLC research study, please contact the TLC study Principal Investigator, Dr. Rebecca Utz (Rebecca.utz@utah.edu).

The team behind TLC

  • Rebecca L. Utz, PhD

    Rebecca L. Utz, PhD

    In 2004, I moved to Utah to be a professor of Sociology at the University of Utah. My teaching and research interests focus on how to support families coping with the challenges of health and aging. I became interested in this topic at the age of 14, when I took my first part-time job at a nursing home in Ohio. Then, after caring for my chronically ill daughter and witnessing other illnesses within my own family, I became acutely aware of how important family caregivers are and especially how important it is for family caregivers to take care of themselves and to use respite. I am the Principal Investigator of the TLC research study. I am committed to helping family caregivers in our community get the respite that they so need and deserve.

  • Michael Caserta, PhD FGSA

    Michael Caserta, PhD FGSA

    I am a professor in the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program at the University of Utah and a co-investigator on this project. This is the most recent in a series of studies in which I have been involved focused on how aging individuals and their families cope with many of the stressful life situations they encounter. The challenges that family caregivers face has been one of those areas that I have worked on throughout my career where early on it became clear how important respite is for caregivers. I am therefore excited about my involvement with this project in order to continue this important work.

  • Alexandra Liisa Terrill, PhD

    Alexandra Liisa Terrill, PhD

    I am an assistant professor at the University of Utah Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies. I am a clinical psychologist by training, specializing in rehabilitation. My research focuses on adjustment to chronic neurological conditions and associated disability and the role of close relationships in managing these conditions (to include caregiving). My overarching goal is to provide accessible and sustainable interventions that foster resilience and promote healthier lives for patients and their families.

  • Bob Wong, PhD

    Bob Wong, PhD

    A Research Associate Professor for the College of Nursing at the University of Utah, I specialize in statistical analysis, research methodology, and data management. I have been working in the field of geriatrics since 2006. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to be a part of research teams investigating ways to help caregivers. I have seen the emotional and physical toll that often comes from caring for loved ones suffering from health decline. That is why the TLC project is near and dear to my heart.

  • Eli Iacob, PhD

    Eli Iacob, PhD

    I have been involved in research for the last 14 years at the University of Utah beginning with my PhD in Neuroscience studying biomarkers for depression and chronic pain and post-doctoral fellowship studying chronic pain behavioral testing and advanced statistical methods to examine patient reported outcomes over time. I have been at the College of Nursing since the end of 2017. My role has focused on helping students and faculty develop rigorous studies in the field of the behavioral sciences by emphasizing study design, database management, and statistical analysis plans. Research groups that I have been involved with study diverse patient and caregiver populations including alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, and post-partum depression. It has been wonderful to work with the diversity of faculty since they bring unique clinical insight into how our interventions can have significant impact on the daily lives of participants. Importantly we make great efforts to emphasize the caregiver’s role in disease and how to find ways to decrease caregiver burden. This approach attracted me to the TLC project a fundamental hurdle in everyone’s life is we have a conception of what we SHOULD do but do not know how best to do it or lack motivation to follow through. Working on increasing the frequency and specifically quality of respite in caregivers is of paramount importance. My specific role in the project is to help with study design, database management, and ultimately conducting the analysis.

  • Amber Thompson, PhD

    Amber Thompson, PhD

    I am the research assistant for the TLC research study. I study a host of end-of-life issues, including how families are affected by caring for loved ones and their interactions with the healthcare institution. I became interested in this area after caring for my father who had pancreatic cancer. Caring for him was the greatest gift and the hardest thing I have experienced to date. I am so excited to work with caregivers who agree to participate! I have high hopes that using respite, and learning how to get the most out of it, will help families during the process of caregiving.

  • Catharine Sparks, MSc

    Catharine Sparks, MSc

    I am the Project Coordinator for the TLC research study. I have many years of experience in the area of caregiving and cognitive aging research. I worked for five years as a caregiver for people experiencing Alzheimer’s related dementia. It was this experience that motivated me to attend graduate school where I focused on research related to communication and well-being for those experiencing dementia and their caregivers. I am excited to continue my commitment to supporting caregiver health and well-being by helping to facilitate this research project and to working with the caregivers who agree to participate in the study.

  • Jason Harris

    Jason Harris

    As the lead developer and current manager of the TLC website, I played a key role in building the original site used for the study. I'm excited to contribute to its ongoing development and success.

  • GSLC

    GSLC

    GSLC is the creative and technical team that developed the online TLC program and digital resources. GSLC is a resource center at the University of Utah known for creating visually engaging products that bring science ideas and processes alive. The team responsible for the creation of TLC includes: Kevin Pompei, Mo Starr, Jason Harris, Brooklee Watters, Jonathan Conger, and Peter Anderson