Family caregiving is a growing public health concern and caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease or other related dementias (ADRD) need appropriate, timely, and ongoing education and support to successfully meet their caregiving responsibilities. Well-designed interventions can significantly reduce risk concerning caregiver mental and physical health, and improve care recipient outcomes. Few interventions are translated into everyday practice; and most rely on in-person, professionally-led delivery methods, making them inaccessible to many family caregivers.The product developed and tested in this pilot study included six evidence-based Caregiver Skill Building Intervention (CSBI) modules, available via a web-based online format for ADRD caregivers. On-demand interactive training modules made up an integrated web-based product that taught family caregiver skills concerning how to care for their impaired family member. Product strengths include: a) an evidence-based intervention, developed from a prior group-based randomized clinical trial (RCT); b) a focus on caregiver management skill, rather than merely teaching facts; c) an interactive approach, enabling caregivers to apply information to realistic scenarios and receive immediate feedback to their responses; d) content which addresses key caregiving topics; and e) a convenient approach, available 24 hours/day/7 days/week from any location with internet access.The project enrolled 100 family caregivers and established feasibility of translating an RCT group intervention to an individualized web-based format. Caregivers positively evaluated this eLearning process (n=53); significantly increased caregiving skill at 6-and 12-weeks, (p=0.01 and 0.05, respectively); and improved caregiver depressive symptoms (p=0.01) and positive affect (p=0.05) at six weeks.
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