Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Digital Health
• Caregiver Support

Background:

• Co-production of 10 short films on dementia care with Indian family caregivers and clinicians.
• Focus on assessing the feasibility and impact of these films on family caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a pilot randomized clinical trial for online dementia care films.
• To determine the effect of these films on caregiver burden, mood, and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• Single-blind, parallel-group pilot randomized clinical trial with adult caregivers owning smartphones.
• Online, community-based trial with follow-up at 3 and 6 months.
• Primary outcomes: feasibility (participation rates) and caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview); Secondary outcomes: mood (CES-D 10) and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF).

Main Results:

• Feasibility outcomes met targets: 86.21% interest, 86% and 90% 3- and 6-month follow-up.
• No significant improvements in caregiver burden (p=0.083) or mood (p=0.169) at 6 months.
• Significant improvement in self-rated physical health (WHOQOL-BREF Domain 1) at 6 months (p=0.036).

Conclusions:

• The trial design for online dementia care films is feasible.
• Short online films show potential for supporting family caregivers of individuals with dementia in India.
• The intervention significantly improved self-rated physical health, with slight, non-significant trends for burden and mood reduction.