Development and Evaluation of the DEA App (DEA)

Development and Evaluation of an Application for Supporting Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia in Their Daily Life

Background, current situation, and motivation According to current estimates, 100,000 people in Austria suffer from various types of dementia. According to forecasts, this number of people will rise to approximately 230,000 by 2050 due to the demographic development and the increase of the prevalence rate. Data from the service statistics show that 85% of dementia patients still live in the community in their homes and informal caregivers, such as relatives, support them. In total, more than 300,000 people care for their relatives in Austria in addition to professional support. However, not only the person affected from dementia suffers from the disease, but also, and often at a higher rate, the informal caregivers. Vice versa, the quality of life of those suffering from dementia is significantly influenced by the caregivers' competences and their strategies for resilience. Study aim and hypothesis The aim of this study is to evaluate the usability, acceptance, and effect of an app consisting of three modules that provide multidimensional support for informal caregivers of a person with dementia.

The control group will receive a leaflet on some general principles for promoting health and well-being in older adults with dementia.

The intervention (DEA) group will receive the newly developed app. DEA will consist of three simultaneous modules that provide multidimensional support for informal caregivers aiming to reduce the caregiver burden: Information module The information module consists of general information on the disease and the care of people suffering from dementia. Activity module The activity module suggests individualized activities and physical fitness exercises by a self-learning algorithm, which supports the caregiver to deliver more targeted and easier care. Communication module If two or more persons are caring for one person with dementia, the communication module provides a networking possibility.

The control group will receive a leaflet on some general principles for promoting health and well-being in older adults with dementia.

The Burden Scale for Family Caregivers are rated on a scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 3 (strongly agree). The score ranges from 0 to 84 points. Higher scores indicate greater caregiver burden

The SF-12 is a shortened version of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). It is developed as an applicable instrument for measuring health-related quality of life.

The Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire is a simple instrument for use with adult carers. It measures quality of life in eight domains: support for caring, caring choice, caring stress, money matters, personal growth, sense of value, ability to care, and carer satisfaction.

Inclusion Criteria: informal caregivers of a person with dementia 18 years or older enough language skills to participate give written and oral informed consent have an Android smartphone or tablet (required to use the app). Exclusion Criteria: none