Improving Respite Outcomes for Caregivers: Who Benefits and Under What Conditions?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) present a significant caregiving burden in the U.S.
• Previous interventions to support caregiver well-being have yielded inconsistent outcomes.
• Caregiver respite is a critical but often under-addressed component of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an app-based intervention designed to prioritize caregiver respite.
• To determine if the intervention substantially improves the overall caregiving experience.
• To examine if demographic factors and caregiving situation characteristics moderate intervention effects.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 143 caregivers participated in the app-based intervention over 20 weeks.
• Curvilinear growth models were employed to analyze changes in the caregiving experience.
• Moderation analyses assessed the impact of caregiver demographics and care recipient conditions.

Main Results:

• The intervention led to significant improvements in the positive aspects of caregiving (PAC).
• Greater benefits were observed for women, lower-income households, and caregivers with a college degree.
• Caregivers providing 80% or more of care reported enhanced positive aspects of caregiving.
• No significant differences in PAC growth were found based on care recipient impairment, caregiver age, or race.

Conclusions:

• App-based caregiver respite interventions can effectively enhance the caregiving experience.
• Interventions may be particularly beneficial for socioeconomically disadvantaged caregiver groups.
• Educational attainment may not be a significant moderator for intervention effectiveness.