Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Dementia Care
• Behavioral Interventions

Background:

• Limited literature exists on caregiver withdrawal from behavioral interventions for dementia.
• This study examines withdrawal from the Tele-STELLA telehealth intervention for dementia caregivers.
• Tele-STELLA provided strategies to manage distressing behavioral symptoms in dementia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify characteristics and reasons for caregiver withdrawal from the Tele-STELLA intervention.
• To compare withdrawn caregivers with those who completed the study.
• To inform future dementia caregiver support strategies.

Main Methods:

• Compared withdrawn caregivers to non-withdrawn caregivers on demographics, dementia characteristics, and study-related variables.
• Utilized chi-squared tests for categorical data and t-tests/ANOVA for continuous data.
• Statistical significance was determined by p-values less than 0.05.

Main Results:

• 30.3% of caregivers (n=57) withdrew from Tele-STELLA.
• Severe dementia in care recipients and care recipient death were significantly associated with withdrawal.
• Overwhelming responsibilities were a primary reason for withdrawal, especially during the active intervention phase.
• Withdrawal timing correlated with adverse events; those withdrawing later experienced more adverse events.
• Demographics, burden, and study satisfaction were not linked to withdrawal.

Conclusions:

• Family caregivers enroll in interventions even late in the dementia journey, indicating a need for support.
• Caregiver withdrawal is primarily driven by care recipient death or adverse events, not personal factors like burden or dissatisfaction.
• Data from caregivers in later stages of dementia is crucial for understanding their experiences and support needs.
• Future research should account for higher withdrawal rates in planning and analysis.