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Szczepura A, Khan AJ, Wild D, Nelson S, Woodhouse S, Collinson M. Digital Adoption by an Organization Supporting Informal Caregivers During COVID-19 Pandemic Showing Impact on Service Use, Organizational Performance, and Carers' Well-Being: Retrospective Population-Based Database Study With Embedded User Survey. JMIR Aging 2024; 7:e46414. [PMID: 38739915 DOI: 10.2196/46414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed a move from face-to-face to digital delivery of services by hospitals and primary care. However, little is known about the impact of digital transformation on organizations supporting unpaid caregivers. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of care provided by such informal caregivers is estimated to be £111 billion (US$ 152.7 billion) in England. OBJECTIVE This study aims to analyze service uptake patterns (including digital service options) over the pandemic period in an English caregivers' support organization covering a population of 0.98 million; measure changes in organizational performance, service efficiency, and quality; and identify the views of caregivers on service provision and future digital delivery. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of the use of digital versus nondigital support services (January 2019 to June 2021) by caregivers in city and rural geographic areas. We compared organizational performance and service quality indicators for 2 financial years (2019-2020 and 2020-2021). A survey was conducted to identify barriers and facilitators to digital service uptake, the computer proficiency of caregivers (the Computer Proficiency Questionnaire, 12-item version), and preferences for future digital service provision. Quantitative data were analyzed using Stata 13 (StataCorp LLC). Thematic analysis was used for open-text survey responses. RESULTS The number of caregivers registered with the organization rose from 14,817 in 2019 to 20,237 in 2021. Monthly contacts rose from 1929 to 6741, with remote contacts increasing from 48.89% (943/1929) to 86.68% (5843/6741); distinctive patterns were observed for city versus rural caregivers. There was an increase in one-to-one contacts (88.8%) and caregiver assessments (20.9%), with no expansion in staffing. Service quality indicators showed an improvement in 5 of 8 variables (all P<.05). The 152 carers completing the survey had similar demographics to all registered caregivers. The Computer Proficiency Questionnaire, 12-item version, mean score of 25.61 (SD 4.40) indicated relatively high computer proficiency. The analysis of open-text responses identified a preference for the organization to continue to offer face-to-face services as well as web-based options. The digital services that were the most highly rated were carers' well-being assessments, support needs checks, and peer support groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that staff in the caregiver support organization were agile in adapting their services to digital delivery while dealing with increased numbers of registered clients and higher monthly contacts, all without obvious detriment to service quality. Caregivers indicated a preference for blended services, even while recording high computer proficiency. Considering the economic importance of unpaid caregivers, more attention should be given to organizations funded to provide support for them and to the potential for technology to enhance caregivers' access to, and engagement with, such services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ala Szczepura
- Research Centre for Healthcare & Communities, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Amir Jahan Khan
- Department of Economics, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Deidre Wild
- Research Centre for Healthcare & Communities, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Nelson
- Prostate Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
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Folder N, Power E, Rietdijk R, Christensen I, Togher L, Parker D. The Effectiveness and Characteristics of Communication Partner Training Programs for Families of People With Dementia: A Systematic Review. Gerontologist 2024; 64:gnad095. [PMID: 37439771 PMCID: PMC10949353 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnad095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Communication partner training (CPT) is essential in dementia care. Despite families being the largest group of community carers, previous reviews primarily focused on formal carers. This study aimed to understand the characteristics and effectiveness of CPT for families of people with dementia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The systematic review included intervention/protocol studies on dementia CPT for families, excluding formal carers and programs not focused on communication. CINAHL, PsycINFO, SpeechBITE, Medline, SCOPUS, and Embase were searched between November 30 and December 6, 2021. After deduplication, 3,172 records were screened. Quality assessment used JBI Critical Appraisal tools and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data synthesis utilized three reporting tools, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, and content analysis. RESULTS Of 30 studies (27 programs), there were 10 quasi-experimental, 5 RCTs, 4 mixed methods, 4 case studies, 4 qualitative, and 2 protocols. Studies were published between 1998 and 2021 and included 671 family members. Characteristics varied with 7/27 programs including consumers during creation and one program including telehealth. One study included all reporting tool criteria. Programs typically used 4 intervention functions, with 12/27 programs addressing 3 behavior change areas. 33/74 outcome measures targeted the "Environment" of the person with dementia. Studies showed positive improvements in communication skills and knowledge, with mixed results on behavior/psychosocial outcomes. Qualitative results identified improvements in conversation and attitudes. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS CPT for families improves communication outcomes, however, quality of studies varied significantly. Future research should address gaps in telehealth, consumer involvement, and intervention descriptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Folder
- Faculty of Health, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Emma Power
- Faculty of Health, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rachael Rietdijk
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Glebe, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Iben Christensen
- Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark
| | - Leanne Togher
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Glebe, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Deborah Parker
- Faculty of Health, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
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Eost-Telling C, Yang Y, Norman G, Hall A, Hanratty B, Knapp M, Robinson L, Todd C. Digital technologies to prevent falls in people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment: a rapid systematic overview of systematic reviews. Age Ageing 2024; 53:afad238. [PMID: 38219225 PMCID: PMC10788098 DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afad238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Falls are a common cause of potentially preventable death, disability and loss of independence with an annual estimated cost of £4.4bn. People living with dementia (PlwD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have an increased fall risk. This overview evaluates evidence for technologies aiming to reduce falls and fall risk for PlwD or MCI. METHODS In October 2022, we searched five databases for evidence syntheses. We used standard methods to rapidly screen, extract data, assess risk of bias and overlap, and synthesise the evidence for each technology type. RESULTS We included seven systematic reviews, incorporating 22 relevant primary studies with 1,412 unique participants. All reviews had critical flaws on AMSTAR-2: constituent primary studies were small, heterogeneous, mostly non-randomised and assessed as low or moderate quality. Technologies assessed were: wearable sensors, environmental sensor-based systems, exergaming, virtual reality systems. We found no evidence relating to apps. Review evidence for the direct impact on falls was available only from environmental sensors, and this was inconclusive. For wearables and virtual reality technologies there was evidence that technologies may differentiate PlwD who fell from those who did not; and for exergaming that balance may be improved. CONCLUSIONS The evidence for technology to reduce falls and falls risk for PlwD and MCI is methodologically weak, based on small numbers of participants and often indirect. There is a need for higher-quality RCTs to provide robust evidence for effectiveness of fall prevention technologies. Such technologies should be designed with input from users and consideration of the wider implementation context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Eost-Telling
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Yang Yang
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Gill Norman
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Alex Hall
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Barbara Hanratty
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 5PL, UK
| | - Martin Knapp
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, UK
| | - Louise Robinson
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 5PL, UK
| | - Chris Todd
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
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Harris-Gersten ML, Davagnino JM, Alcorn ER, Hastings SN. Usability and Acceptability of Social Robot Pets Among Community-Dwelling Veterans Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 2023; 38:15333175231200973. [PMID: 37688378 PMCID: PMC10624055 DOI: 10.1177/15333175231200973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Social robot pets promote engagement and psychosocial well-being among older adults, yet little is known about their use among community-dwelling Veterans living with dementia. This programmatic evaluation used a within subjects, pre-post design to examine the usability (frequency of use, frequency of caregiver reminders) and acceptability (benefit, satisfaction) of social robot pets among Veterans with dementia (N = 20). An intervention usability and acceptability tool was completed by telephone with family caregivers 3 months after delivery of the pet to the home. Overall, 80% of Veterans used the pet often or daily, while 7 caregivers provided reminders for the Veteran to use the pet. Caregivers indicated that Veterans experienced benefit with the pet, as well themselves. Regarding satisfaction, 89% reported they would recommend a social robot pet to others. Research is needed to expand generalizability, evaluate effects on outcomes, and enhance implementation of social robot pets among Veteran families with dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L. Harris-Gersten
- Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA
- School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s National Clinician Scholars Program, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Judith M. Davagnino
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center-Caring for Older Adults and Caregivers at Home Program, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Edwin R. Alcorn
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center-Caring for Older Adults and Caregivers at Home Program, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA
| | - S. Nicole Hastings
- Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA
- School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Thodis A, Dang TH, Antoniades J, Gilbert AS, Nguyen T, Hlis D, Gurgone M, Dow B, Cooper C, Xiao LD, Wickramasinghe N, Ulapane N, Varghese M, Loganathan S, Enticott J, Mortimer D, Brijnath B. Improving the lives of ethnically diverse family carers and people living with dementia using digital media resources - Protocol for the Draw-Care randomised controlled trial. Digit Health 2023; 9:20552076231205733. [PMID: 37846403 PMCID: PMC10576921 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231205733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Ethnically diverse family carers of people living with dementia (hereafter carers and people with dementia) experience more psychological distress than other carers. To reduce this inequality, culturally adapted, multilingual, evidence-based practical assistance is needed. This paper details the Draw-Care study protocol including a randomised control trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of a digital intervention comprising a multilingual website, virtual assistant, animated films, and information, on the lives of carers and people with dementia in Australia. Methods The Draw-Care intervention will be evaluated in a 12-week active waitlist parallel design RCT with 194 carers from Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Tamil, and Vietnamese-speaking language groups. Our intervention was based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) iSupport Lite online carer support messages and was co-designed with carers, people with dementia, service providers, and clinicians. Culturally adapted multilingual digital resources were created in nine languages and English. Results In Phase I (2022), six co-design workshops with stakeholders and interviews with people with dementia informed the development of the intervention which will be trialled and evaluated in Phases II and III (2023 and 2024). Conclusions Digital media content is a novel approach to providing cost-effective access to health care information. This study protocol details the three study phases including the RCT of a co-designed, culturally adapted, multilingual, digital intervention for carers and people with dementia to advance the evidence in dementia and digital healthcare research and help meet the needs of carers and people with dementia in Australia and globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Thodis
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | - Thu-Ha Dang
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
| | - Josefine Antoniades
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Global and Women's Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Clayton, Australia
| | - Andrew S. Gilbert
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tuan Nguyen
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
- University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Danijela Hlis
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- OPAN/NOPRG & Dementia Australia Advocate, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mary Gurgone
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- Centre of Capability and Culture, Melbourne, Australia
- Association of Culturally Appropriate Services (AfCAS), Melbourne, Australia
- Perth Foundation for Women, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Briony Dow
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Joanne Enticott
- Global and Women's Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Clayton, Australia
| | - Duncan Mortimer
- Global and Women's Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Clayton, Australia
| | - Bianca Brijnath
- National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Australia
- University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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