Empowering Dementia Caregivers: A Smart Mobile Solution for Stress Tracking and Support

Professional caregivers for dementia experience high levels of stress, as illustrated by 60% working full-time alongside caregiving and two-thirds reporting anxiety or depression. Available mobile applications have key gaps in comprehensive stress management. Here, we present CaregiverConnect, an application developed on Flutter and Firebase that integrates stress tracking with evidence-based relief mechanisms and care coordination tools. Requirements were gathered through stakeholder interviews and an analysis of literature. Core features include temporal stress monitoring based on validated Likert scales, guided breathing exercises, peer support groups, consultations with experts, and patient health logging. System validation was also conducted that proved functionality, usability, and compliance with security standards. We further did a two-week pilot study with professional caregivers in two nursing facilities. CaregiverConnect fills crucial gaps by combining real-time monitoring with interventions that are multimodal in nature within a secure, user-centered interface.