Evaluation of Service Navigation and Networking for Dementia Care in Rural Communities (Sender) App

Blackberry, Irene; Farmer, Jane; Morley, Catherine; Mahoney, Anne-Marie; Douglass, D.; Torabi, Torab; Wilding, Clare; Morgan, Debra

doi:10.1093/geroni/igx004.4965

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…On the basis of the project findings, a prototype smartphone app for helping carers of people living with dementia navigate health and aged care services and increasing support and connection between carers and service providers was piloted in 2016 with 2 rural communities. The Service Navigation and Networking for Dementia in Rural Communities app was co-designed and coproduced with rural carers, service providers, and other stakeholder representatives (including Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria) [ 24 ]. Feedback from the pilot indicated that more flexible support from services was needed and that carers (most of whom were older people) needed assistance in developing confidence in using web-based technologies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Web-Based Technologies to Support Carers of People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Wilding¹,

Morgan²,

Greenhill³

et al. 2022

JMIR Res Protoc

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Background Informal carers play a significant role in supporting people living with dementia; however, carers in rural areas are often isolated, with limited access to support services. Although dementia-friendly communities provide valued support for carers, access to them is limited as they are few and geographically dispersed. Objective This study’s aim was to increase support and services for rural informal carers of people living with dementia by using information and communication technologies accessed through an integrated website and mobile app—the Verily Connect app. The objective of this protocol is to detail the research design used in a complex study that was situated in a challenging real-world setting integrating web-based and on-ground technology and communication. Therefore, it is anticipated that this protocol will strengthen the research of others exploring similar complex concepts. Methods A stepped-wedge, open-cohort cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to implement Verily Connect across 12 rural Australian communities. The Verily Connect intervention delivered web-based, curated information about dementia, a localized directory of dementia services and support, group and individual chat forums, and peer support through videoconference. During the implementation phase of 32 weeks, Verily Connect was progressively implemented in four 8-weekly waves of 3 communities per wave. Usual care, used as a comparator, was available to carers throughout the study period. Participants and researchers were unblinded to the intervention. There were 3 cohorts of participants: carers, volunteers, and staff; participants were recruited from their communities. The primary outcome measure was perceived carer social support measured using the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. Volunteers and staff provided feedback on their participation in Verily Connect as qualitative data. Qualitative data were collected from all cohorts of participants through interviews and focus groups. Process evaluation data were collected through interviews and memos written by research staff. Data on the costs of implementing Verily Connect were collected by the research team members and evaluated by a health economist. Results Between August 2018 and September 2019, a total of 113 participants were recruited. There were 37 (32.7%) carers, 39 (34.5%) volunteers, and 37 (32.7%) health service staff. The study was complex because of the involvement of multiple and varied communities of carers, volunteers, health service staff, and research team members originating from 5 universities. Web-based technologies were used as intervention strategies to support carers and facilitate the process of undertaking the study. Conclusions The Verily Connect trial enabled the testing and further development of a web-based approach to increasing support for carers of people living with dementia across a diverse rural landscape in Australia. This protocol provides an example of how to conduct a pragmatic evaluation of a complex and co-designed intervention involving multiple stakeholders. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001213235; https://tinyurl.com/4rjvrasf International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/33023

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Web-Based Technologies to Support Carers of People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Wilding¹,

Morgan²,

Greenhill³

et al. 2022

JMIR Res Protoc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Web-Based Technologies to Support Carers of People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

Wilding¹,

Morgan²,

Greenhill³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND Informal carers play a significant role in supporting people living with dementia; however, carers in rural areas are often isolated, with limited access to support services. Although dementia-friendly communities provide valued support for carers, access to them is limited as they are few and geographically dispersed. OBJECTIVE This study’s aim was to increase support and services for rural informal carers of people living with dementia by using information and communication technologies accessed through an integrated website and mobile app—the Verily Connect app. The objective of this protocol is to detail the research design used in a complex study that was situated in a challenging real-world setting integrating web-based and on-ground technology and communication. Therefore, it is anticipated that this protocol will strengthen the research of others exploring similar complex concepts. METHODS A stepped-wedge, open-cohort cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to implement Verily Connect across 12 rural Australian communities. The Verily Connect intervention delivered web-based, curated information about dementia, a localized directory of dementia services and support, group and individual chat forums, and peer support through videoconference. During the implementation phase of 32 weeks, Verily Connect was progressively implemented in four 8-weekly waves of 3 communities per wave. Usual care, used as a comparator, was available to carers throughout the study period. Participants and researchers were unblinded to the intervention. There were 3 cohorts of participants: carers, volunteers, and staff; participants were recruited from their communities. The primary outcome measure was perceived carer social support measured using the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. Volunteers and staff provided feedback on their participation in Verily Connect as qualitative data. Qualitative data were collected from all cohorts of participants through interviews and focus groups. Process evaluation data were collected through interviews and memos written by research staff. Data on the costs of implementing Verily Connect were collected by the research team members and evaluated by a health economist. RESULTS Between August 2018 and September 2019, a total of 113 participants were recruited. There were 37 (32.7%) carers, 39 (34.5%) volunteers, and 37 (32.7%) health service staff. The study was complex because of the involvement of multiple and varied communities of carers, volunteers, health service staff, and research team members originating from 5 universities. Web-based technologies were used as intervention strategies to support carers and facilitate the process of undertaking the study. CONCLUSIONS The Verily Connect trial enabled the testing and further development of a web-based approach to increasing support for carers of people living with dementia across a diverse rural landscape in Australia. This protocol provides an example of how to conduct a pragmatic evaluation of a complex and co-designed intervention involving multiple stakeholders. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001213235; https://tinyurl.com/4rjvrasf INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/33023

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Evaluation of Service Navigation and Networking for Dementia Care in Rural Communities (Sender) App

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Web-Based Technologies to Support Carers of People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Web-Based Technologies to Support Carers of People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Web-Based Technologies to Support Carers of People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

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