Distance Savvy: Testing Tele-Savvy, a Distance Dementia Family Caregiver Education Program

Distance Savvy: Testing Tele-Savvy, a Distance Dementia Family Caregiver Education Program

The purpose of this study is to refine and test the web-based delivery of a well-established in-person group program that provides information and education to informal caregivers (family and friends) of persons with Alzheimer's disease (or related illnesses).

The pilot project proposed will allow the investigators to use telehealth methods to deliver the Savvy Caregiver, an evidence-based dementia caregiver psychoeducation program, to family caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementing illnesses (PWD) for whom attending in-person meetings poses difficulties. The program - named Tele-Savvy - uses iPad and PC technology and on-line conferencing capacity to deliver the program through daily asynchronous self-learning modules and weekly, hour-long synchronous group meetings with program facilitators. Tele-Savvy addresses all of the learning objectives of the current in-person Savvy program (Savvy entails in-person participation in six weekly two-hour group sessions).

Inclusion Criteria:

• an informal caregiver for a person with a dementing disorder, such as Alzheimer's disease
• able to speak, read, and understand English
• has access to a computer with internet connection
• lives in the US

Exclusion Criteria:

• unwilling to participate in data gathering