Dementia Caregivers’ Responses to 2 Internet-Based Intervention Programs

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the impact on dementia caregivers’ experienced stress and health status of 2 Internet-based intervention programs. 

Design and methods: Ninety-one dementia caregivers were given the choice of being involved in either an Internet-based chat support group or an Internet-based video conferencing support group. Pre-post outcome measures focused on distress, health status, social support, and service utilization. Results: In contrast to the Chat Group, the Video Group showed significantly greater improvement in mental health status. Also, for the Video Group, improvements in self-efficacy, neuroticism, and social support were associated with lower stress response to coping with the care recipient’s cognitive

impairment and decline in function. 

Implications: The results show that, of 2 Internet-based intervention programs for dementia caregivers, the video conferencing intervention program was more effective in improving mental health status and improvement in personal characteristics were associated with lower caregiver stress response.

My Opinion :

In this study, the authors try to examine dementia caregivers’ responses to using technology to access 1 of 2 Internet-based clinical support intervention programs: text-based Chat Group intervention and online video conferencing psychotherapeutic support group intervention.

As the results show,  the video group showed significantly greater improvement in many aspect of the caregiver. In the video group, the participant often use the service. In contrast with the chat group, many of the participants are seldom to use the service. From here, we can try to add the video conference in the program hoping that caregivers will get more benefit from our program.

In our society here, in Jogja I think many people will be more familiar with face to face meeting rather than communicating with keyboard (typing). This, I think, will give more advantages for the caregiver to share their problems and experiences. The clinician who facilitates the video conferences also should be fluent in Javanese language.

Reference : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49799330_Dementia_Caregivers'_Responses_to_2_Internet-Based_Intervention_Programs