m-Health based Intervention by Community Workers to support Family Caregivers to Persons with Dementia living at home
Funding agency: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Project start date: 15-06-2023
Objectives of the study:
- To develop a community health worker based mHealth application that improves competence of caregiving skills of family caregivers of people with dementia.
- To assess the effectiveness of mHealth based intervention delivered by community health workers to reduce caregiver burden and depressive symptoms and improve quality of life of family caregivers of people with dementia.
- To train ASHA workers for providing support to family caregivers of people with dementia via mHealth application
- To assess cost effectiveness of delivering mHealth intervention by community health workers to family caregivers of people with dementia
Methodology:
Two UHCs (one intervention and one control) each from North and South zone of Jodhpur district will be selected. 16 ASHAs (8 ASHASs/UHC) covering a population of approximately 123,000 will be in the intervention arm and 16 ASHAs will be in the comparator arm. Effectiveness of a psycho-educational intervention delivered via mobile application by ASHAs on reduction of caregiving burden and depressive symptoms and enhancing caregiving competence and caregiver’s quality of life of family caregivers of persons with dementia, will be assessed.
Expected Outcomes:
Improved care of older persons with dementia and reducing the caregiver burden by strengthening caregiving skills of family caregivers with support from ASHA via mHealth.
Ongoing work:
- Understanding and discussion of project methodology.
- Understanding of study tools to be used- Zarit Burden Interview (ZARIT-12), EuroQol (EQ-5D-5L), Short Sense of Competence Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire.
- Review of relevant literature.