Effect of an Online Caregiving Preparedness Program for Caring of Elderly with Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia on Caregiving Burden Among Caregivers
Keywords:
Caregiving preparedness, Behavioral and psychological symptoms, Caregivers of elderly with dementia, Online program, Caregiving burdenAbstract
Dementia is a syndrome characterized by a decline in brain function, leading to impairments in thought and memory, as well as behavioral, emotional, and psychological issues. It is highly prevalent among older adults and often results in continuous dependence on caregivers, which can lead to feelings of burden for those providing care. This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effects of an online caregiving preparedness program for caring of elderly with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia on caregiving burden among caregivers. The participants were 56 caregivers of older adults with dementia who were receiving outpatient care at Suanprung Hospital. They were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=28), which received an online preparatory caregiving program, or a control group (n=28), which received routine nursing care. The research instruments included: 1) an online caregiving preparedness program for caring of elderly with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia; 2) a personal information questionnaire; and 3) a dementia caregiver burden assessment tool. Content validity and reliability of the research instruments were approved. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and one-way repeated measures ANOVA.
The results showed that: 1) the mean caregiver burden scores of the experimental group at three time points–pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up–were significantly different (F = 2810.98, p < .001); and 2) the experimental group had significantly lower caregiver burden scores compared to the control group at both the post-intervention and one-month follow-up stages (p < .001).
The findings of this study show that the online preparatory caregiving program for older adults with dementia who exhibit behavioral and psychological symptoms effectively reduces caregiver burden. Therefore, it is recommended that this program be implemented more broadly to support caregivers of older adults with dementia.
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