Caring for the Caregiver: A Theory-Driven Mobile Intervention to Promote Caregiver Well-Being

Overmillion Americans are currently providing unpaid care to a family memberrelativeor friend with Alzheimer s disease or related dementiaWhile caregiving can be a positive experience that brings meaning and an increased sense of purposeit can also take a tollNearlyof Alzheimer s and dementia caregivers rate their emotional distress as high or very highand as many assuffer from depressionCaregivers with distress provide poorer quality care to the care recipientand are more costly to employers because of reduced productivity and higher healthcare costsAs the number of Americans with Alzheimer s disease and related dementias increasesso will the need for informal caregiversChanges to public and workplace policies and the availability of low cost and convenient supports will be essential to encourage individuals to meet the increasing societal demand for Alzheimer s and dementia caregiversIn additioneffectiveeasily disseminable interventions will be required to promote well being among individuals who take on the caregiver roleThe primary goal of the proposed research is to develop and assess the feasibility of a Transtheoretical Model of ChangeTTMbased interventionConnect Caredesigned to facilitate caregiversprogress through the stages of change for using healthy strategies to manage emotional distressGiven the cost of informal caregiving to employersConnect Care will be designed for dissemination via workplace wellness programs and rely on universal screening to identify Alzheimer s and dementia caregivers with reduced well beingTo fit into the busy lives of caregiversthe intervention will be delivered via text messages with links to brief web based assessmentsinformationand activitiesExtensive end userexpert consultantand key stakeholder input will ensure that the intervention is designed for rapid dissemination and incorporates best practices for user uptake and sustained useAlzheimer s and dementia caregivers who are employed will be recruited from Employee Assistance Programs and Alzheimer s caregiver support groups to participate in focus groupsncognitive testsnand iterative usability testingnto provide input and feedback during the formative phases of the researchAlsodementia caregivers who are employed and have reduced well being will be recruited by a survey company and via Alzheimer s and caregiver advocacy organizations toparticipate in aminute online survey to validate stage of change measures and to provide data on preferences regarding Connect Care program featuresNorto participate in aday pilot test of the Connect Care programNIn the pilotthe three criteria for establishing the feasibility of this approach to intervention are as followsdementia caregiver willingness to engage with the programas evidenced by continued receipt of text messages and four or more interactions with the program by at leastof study participants during theday intervention periodcaregiver acceptance of the programas evidenced by overall mean ratings of at leastout ofon an acceptability measureandcaregiver benefit from the programevidenced by statistically significant pre post improvement in caregiver well beingThose who fail to sustain engagement will be asked to participate in telephone interviews to provide feedback on how the program can be improvedPhase I data will inform modifications and finalization of the design specifications for the full Connect Care intervention program that will be developed in Phase IIProject Narrative Given the personalsocietaland employer costs of the extra burden often associated with informal caregivingthe proposed research will develop and assess the feasibility of a mobile Transtheoretical Model of ChangeTTMbased multiple behavior intervention to promote caregiver well beingThe intervention will be designed to be disseminated via workplace wellness programsThis intervention has the potential to advance the science of how to promote caregiver well being using a cost effectiveeasily disseminable solution