Dementia knowledge among caregivers with and without training in Lima-Peru

Dementia prevalence is increasing globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries like Peru. Evidence has shown that a trained caregiver improves the patient's quality of life, reduces behavioral symptoms, and decreases the likelihood of the caregiver developing burnout.

The aim of the study was to measure the level of knowledge of caregivers attending monthly training compared to untrained caregivers in Lima, Peru.

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 102 informal caregivers of dementia patients, split evenly into trained (n=51) and untrained (n=51) groups. The training program ("Lonchecito para cuidadores") consists of 10 virtual meetings per year, where the main topics are: types of dementia, management of behavioral symptoms, application of non-pharmacological measures, and caregiver well-being. Dementia knowledge was assessed using the Spanish version of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS-S). Data were analyzed using Student's t-test to compare group scores, with a significance threshold of p<0.05.

The trained caregivers scored higher [mean=18, standard deviation (SD)=2.72] than the untrained group (mean=16, SD=2.6) (p=0.001). Higher education was moderately correlated with better DKAS-S scores. Notably, questions on early dementia symptoms, advanced care, and management of behavioral symptoms had the highest error rates, with up to 70% incorrect responses on some items.

Caregivers with dementia training performed better than the general population, underscoring the need for improved community access to quality dementia information.