Caregiver connect: a mobile application for stress tracking anddelivering support for dementia caregivers

Abstract

The growing prevalence of dementia imposes escalating demands on caregivers, whofrequently experience severe emotional, social, and financial stresses. Most caregivers juggle their responsibilities with full-time work: more than one in five Americans (21.3 percent) are caregivers, with 70% describing work-related problems caused by their dual roles. Almost 20% of working caregivers have abandoned their jobs, and more than 40% have dropped to part-time work due to caregiving responsibilities. Research literature also illustrates that dementia caregivers experience high rates of stress, depression, and anxiety, impacting about two-thirds of this population. Additionally, this population aso endures worse physical health outcomes than non-caregivers. In response to the complex challenges of dementia caregivers, this study presents thedesign and deployment of a specialized mobile application tailored to address their specific needs. The platform is a community and emotional support system through shared experience and peer-to-peer interaction. The features include patient and caregiver directories, experts help, measurement of stress by regular surveys, evidence-based stress reduction through guided breathing, reminders to drink, dietary recommendations based on mood, therapeutic games, mental training, and music therapy. The system contains special platforms for communication, drinking, nutrition, and bowel movements—and access to curated online Alzheimer’s resources are also supported. Evidence has shown these features reduce caregiver burden, enhance coping capacity, and preserve mental health, and conform to ideals of cognitive behavior. A two-week research study was conducted in two nursing homes with caregivers asparticipants to evaluate the platform’s impact on stress, caregiving ability, and quality of life. Stress tracking data revealed higher evening stress compared to mornings, with well-rested caregivers showing greater focus and energy at the start of their shifts. Surveys of caregivers revealed that, at the end of the day, caregivers needed assistance, such as relief mechanisms, also disclosed that patient health logs feature was extremely beneficial. The experiment’s intervention, anchored in social support theory, helped reduce psychological distress, work-related disruptions such as absenteeism and job loss, and ultimately improved caregiver well-being, care quality, and workforce retention.