Whether they move to a senior living community or nursing home or live at home in the community at large, older adults living with dementia often need friends and family members to become more literate about their care plans and health regimens.
University researchers are testing a new digital tool that has been designed to help any caregivers of people living with dementia. The online tool works to help navigate the complex maze of regulatory and legal considerations that come with memory care.
Although the tool is aimed primarily at individuals’ family members, long-term care providers also figure to benefit via improved comprehension that winds up enabling better communication among all involved caregivers.
To study the tool’s efficacy, the National Institute on Aging has bestowed a $3.5 million grant on Emory University’s Neil Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, the recipients announced in December.
“Promoting effective coping behaviors by strengthening caregivers’ capacities for navigating interactions with systems and structures may reduce high levels of caregiver stress,” Emory nursing professor Carolyn Clevenger, DNP, RN, GNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, said in a statement. “We hope that ensuring that these systems and structures are effectively accessed and deployed will benefit persons with dementia as well.”
The study is expected to take place over five years and will involve interactive learning methods for caregivers. There are as many as 11 million informal caregivers for people living with dementia who could benefit from such tools, noted Clevenger, who also founded Emory’s Integrated Memory Care Clinic.
Although Emory’s upcoming training program is designed to test training methods for the general public, other nursing schools are trying out innovations with their students directly. Some nursing students now are using virtual reality headsets to simulate real-life caregiving situations, the McKnight’s Tech Daily recently reported.
