MOE! Regaining Control Over Fatigue

Fatigue is the most debilitating complaint among young people with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). This project aims to adapt an existing fatigue treatment designed for adults to suit adolescents.

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“We want to regain control over our lives and our future!” and “Help us feel less tired!” are quotes from young people with ABI. Each year, 19,000 young people sustain ABI, and three-quarters of them suffer from fatigue. This severely affects their daily lives. A targeted treatment that combines cognitive behavioral therapy with physical training currently only exists for adults. The project MOE! stands for Meedoen, Opladen, Energie! (Participate, Recharge, Energy!). Two Research Groups from Centre of Expertise Health Innovation work together on this: Assitive Technology for Mobility & Sports and Rehabilitation & Technology. With this project, we aim to help young people with ABI regain control over their fatigue symptoms.

We want to regain control over our lives and our future!

Objective

The goal of this project is to adapt the existing treatment to the needs and preferences of young people with ABI, aged twelve to eighteen, and their healthcare providers. The starting point is the existing treatment COGRAT, which stands for COgnitive and GRaded Activity Training. Graded activity training is a method in which activities are gradually increased. In the COGRAT treatment, this is combined with cognitive therapy.

Target Group

The target group consists of adolescents with Acquired Brain Injury who suffer from fatigue.

Method

The method includes the following steps:

  1. Developing an adapted version of the COGRAT treatment. In this version, participants will train both on-site and at home, supported digitally (‘blended care’). This will be done in co-creation with the target group.
  2. Adapting modules within existing e-health applications (such as Minddistrict or Physitrack) to make home practice possible, based on input from the first step.
  3. Testing and optimizing the adapted approach in two to three repetitions.
  4. Conducting a pilot study using the optimized approach.
  5. Implementing the approach in four rehabilitation centers (listed under ‘collaboration’).

Results

The intended outcome is the MOE! approach: a blended care method for adolescents with ABI that tackles fatigue, improves physical condition, and teaches young people to better manage their fatigue. For healthcare practice, this program provides a structured response to the needs of young people and contributes to a more uniform approach to treating fatigue.

Impact

The proposed approach aims to reduce underperformance among young people with ABI, decrease their reliance on family members and informal caregivers, and reduce the risk of additional issues such as loneliness and depression. The MOE!-program will be suitable for all young people with ABI(both traumatic and non-traumatic), aged twelve to eighteen, regardless of gender, ethnic or socio-economic background, or sexual orientation.

Duration

This project will run until January 2026.

Team

  • Jorit Meesters
  • Monique Berger
  • Arie-Willem de Leeuw
  • Ester de Jonge

Collaboration

This project is carried out in collaboration with the following partners:

Funding

This project is funded by ZonMw.

Contact

Ester de Jonge ([email protected])