Evaluation of Mobile Apps for Informal Caregivers of People Living With Dementia

Systematic Evaluation of Mobile Applications for Informal Caregivers of People Living With Dementia

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two currently available apps for unpaid caregivers of people living with dementia.

Informal caregivers of people living with dementia experience stressors that are associated with adverse health outcomes. Mobile applications (i.e., apps) could potentially improve the delivery and increase access to interventions. Although apps for informal caregivers of people living with dementia are available, empirical evidence to support their effectiveness is limited. The evaluation will be conducted by recruiting informal caregivers of people living with dementia. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two app-using groups or a wait-list condition. In the rare event that a participant experiences issues downloading an assigned app (and before commencing the 2-week period), participants will be randomly assigned to one of the other two conditions. Participants in the app-using groups will be asked to use their app for a 2-week period, and burden, stress, overall health, and knowledge will be assessed before, after the 2-week period, and at a 3-week follow-up. Subjective app ratings and usability of apps will be collected after the 2-week period. A 3 between (group) by 3 within (time: baseline, post, follow-up) mixed model (repeated measures) multivariate analysis of variance and univariate analyses will be conducted to examine improvements on outcome measures over time. Interviews will be conducted, and textual data will be analyzed thematically to examine caregiver experiences, perceptions of caregivers in using selected apps, and preferences and needs of caregivers in the development of future apps. Findings from the proposed investigation can help guide caregivers in choosing the apps that best address their needs. Moreover, findings from the investigation can inform future developments of apps to address the needs of caregivers of people living with dementia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• providing informal care for a person living with dementia (e.g., informal caregivers who are non-professionals; this may include immediate family members such as spouses, children, and other relatives, friends)
• living with or providing primary care for the person living with dementia (i.e., the care recipient is not in a long-term care facility)
• providing unpaid care
• own a smartphone (i.e., an iPhone or Android and/or can access either IOS or Android platforms)

Exclusion Criteria:

- using an app for caregiver stress/burden