Caregivers' experience with Tele-Savvy Caregiver Program post-hospitalization.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Caregiver Support

Background:

• Persons living with dementia (PLWD) frequently experience hospitalizations and readmissions.
• Existing telehealth transitional care interventions do not specifically target unpaid caregivers of PLWD.
• Caregiver support is crucial for managing PLWD's health post-discharge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate caregiver acceptability and experiences with the Tele-Savvy Caregiver Program, a telehealth psychoeducational intervention.
• To gather feedback on essential features for a new transitional care intervention tailored to caregivers' post-discharge needs.
• To inform the development of caregiver-centered transitional care strategies for PLWD.

Main Methods:

• A formative evaluation was conducted with 15 unpaid caregivers of PLWD.
• Caregivers participated in the 43-day Tele-Savvy online psychoeducational intervention.
• Conventional content analysis was used to analyze interview data.

Main Results:

• Tele-Savvy was acceptable to most participating caregivers.
• Caregivers reported improved understanding of dementia and caregiving skills.
• Key themes included the "new normal" post-hospitalization, PLWD health concerns, and desired intervention features.

Conclusions:

• The Tele-Savvy Caregiver Program shows promise as an acceptable intervention for caregivers of PLWD.
• Caregiver feedback is vital for designing effective transitional care interventions.
• Future interventions should address caregivers' needs and schedules post-discharge.