Caregiver Bootcamp

Summary

This study will assess the preliminary efficacy of a synchronous/asynchronous psychoeducation program designed to promote caregiving mastery in the immediate time period after a dementia diagnosis. It will also study the effects on caregiver and care recipient well-being.

Detailed Description

The Caregiver Bootcamp program will employ psychoeducational methods (expert instruction, expectation of active learning by participants, debriefing and coaching linked to participant reports of application of strategies and principles) to enhance the proposed mechanism of action of the intervention, the enhancement of caregiving mastery - the individual's self-acknowledgement of self-efficacy for coping with the stresses of the new caregiving role. The program is meant to provide basic orientation to the situation: recognize the reality of the condition; understand the shifts in mindset that the immediate situation demands; begin to recognize the shift in responsibility that will have to occur; and take practical steps to prepare for the future. The program will combine 5 weekly small group 90-120-minute online sessions with asynchronous instructional materials delivered 2-4 days in between sessions.

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions