Informal Caregiver Outcomes in Home-Based Dyadic Dementia Interventions: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to map the range of outcomes reported in studies of informal caregivers delivering home-based interventions to people with dementia, using the stress process model as a guiding framework.

We followed the Arskey & O'Malley framework to conduct a scoping review. Data from nine databases were descriptively synthesized to map intervention types, caregiver roles, and outcome domains.

An initial database search yielded 3,977 studies of which 22 were included in this review. Results revealed a high degree of heterogeneity in research with ten different types of home-based interventions delivered by informal caregivers to persons living with dementia at home. Nine out of 10 types showed some positive benefits for the caregivers. No intervention had only negative impacts on caregivers.

Home-based, dyadic interventions for persons living with dementia showed promise in improving care recipient outcomes, but caregiver outcomes were mixed and often modest. Interventions that are flexible, feasible, and person-centered tend to be better received, yet challenges such as caregiver burden, intervention complexity, and lack of cultural inclusivity persist.

This scoping review underscores the impact of home-based, dyadic interventions on caregivers of persons living with dementia, highlighting that benefits for care recipients do not always translate into caregiver well-being. Future research should prioritize longitudinal, culturally responsive, and scalable studies to optimize outcomes for both caregivers and care recipients.