Geriatric Clinic and Services, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) , Bangalore, India.
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization (WHO) , Geneva, Switzerland.
Clin Gerontol. 2020 Oct-Dec;43(5):518-532. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1725703. Epub 2020 Feb 21.
There is a considerable need for support interventions for caregivers of people with dementia in developing countries, such as India. The purpose of the study was to identify the components and understand the acceptability of an online training and support program for dementia caregivers in India.
Three focus group discussions were carried out with dementia caregivers (2) and health professionals (1) to understand the requirements of an online training and support program from their perspective. The commonly recurring themes were identified and defined using thematic content analysis.
The expectations from an online training and support program were wide-ranging from information about identification and management of dementia to support caregiver well-being. Use of simple language, cultural relevance, and an interactive design were suggestions to facilitate the use of the support program. Lack of time, difficulty in accessing the internet, lack of awareness about the portal, difficulty in reaching the rural population were anticipated as challenges in using the program.
The study highlights the requisite components of a first of its kind online training and support program in India by integrating the experiences, motivations, challenges, and expectations of caregivers and professionals involved in dementia care.
The focus group discussions in the current study provide a road map for the development of an online caregiver training and support program underlying the perspectives of the stakeholders for the consolidation of an effective dementia care program for lower resourced settings.
发展中国家（如印度）非常需要为痴呆症患者的照护者提供支持干预措施。本研究旨在确定在线培训和支持计划的组成部分，并了解其对印度痴呆症照护者的可接受性。
对 3 名痴呆症照护者（2 名）和 1 名卫生专业人员进行了 3 次焦点小组讨论，以从他们的角度了解在线培训和支持计划的要求。使用主题内容分析，对常见的反复出现的主题进行了识别和定义。
对在线培训和支持计划的期望范围广泛，从识别和管理痴呆症到支持照护者的幸福感。使用简单的语言、文化相关性和互动设计是促进使用支持计划的建议。预计使用该计划会面临一些挑战，例如缺乏时间、上网困难、对门户网站缺乏了解以及难以覆盖农村地区。
本研究通过整合痴呆症护理相关的照护者和专业人员的经验、动机、挑战和期望，突出了印度首个此类在线培训和支持计划的必要组成部分。
本研究中的焦点小组讨论为开发在线照护者培训和支持计划提供了路线图，该计划基于利益相关者的观点，旨在为资源较少的环境制定有效的痴呆症护理计划。
