Are mobile apps meeting the needs of caregivers of people living with dementia? An evaluation of existing apps for caregivers

Figures & data

Figure 1. Search flow of mobile applications developed for informal caregivers of people living with dementia.

Table 1. Frequency of app features.

Feature	Number of apps with the given feature (%)	Description
Managing care-related needs
Information on dementia and care management	11 (68.8)	Didactic and text information about dementia in general, symptoms associated with dementia, and tips on managing care provision (e.g. etiology of dementia, behaviors).
Task and appointment scheduling	6 (37.5)	Allowed users to input tasks as a list or track appointments with a calendar. Most apps with this feature had a reminder capacity that notified users of impending appointments/tasks.
External/additional resources	9 (56.3)	Provided external links to resources about dementia and caregiver and formal care organizations.
Behavior/symptom management and monitoring	6 (37.5)	Allowed users to directly manage and track the behaviors and symptoms in the care recipient. Some apps allowed users to record and track certain behaviors observed in the person living with dementia.
Task management with other care providers	4 (25.0)	Allowed users to add other care providers in the app to facilitate care (e.g. collaboratively manage tasks and share appointments within the app).
Medication management	2 (12.5)	Allowed caregivers to input and manage the medications of the care recipient.
Caregiver’s personal needs
Information on caregiver well-being	10 (62.5)	Didactic information about caregiver stress, burnout, and stress management.
Stress management strategies	5 (31.3)	Provided activities that focus on caregiver mental health and well-being. A few apps included features that allowed caregivers to track and rate their daily mood, practice mindfulness exercises, and journal about their day.
Social networking	4 (25.0)	Allowed caregivers to connect with other caregivers and people affected by dementia. A few apps allowed users to post about their day and share photos and videos through the app. Other apps allowed users to provide and receive tips from other caregivers.

Note. % Indicates frequency of the given feature.

Table 2. Means (SDs) of app quality ratings.

	Ratings
Subscale	M	SD	Range
Engagement	3.08	0.77	2.00-4.20
Functionality	3.97	0.48	3.00- 4.75
Aesthetics	3.73	0.68	2.67- 5.00
Information	3.63	0.40	3.00-4.20
App Quality Mean Score	3.60	0.33	3.15- 4.22

Note. MARS = Mobile App Rating Scale. Rated from 0 to 5, with increasing scores indicating greater app quality. M = Mean; SD = Standard Deviation.

Figure 2. Flow diagram of the participants included in the study. App 1 = Dementia Talk app; app 2 = CLEAR Dementia Care. Time 2 = after the 2-week period.

Table 3. Demographic characteristics for the app-using and control conditions.

	App 1		App 2		Control
	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Age	54.62	15.22	55.09	13.57	56.38	11.34
n	45		44		40
Length of diagnosis (years)	4.05	2.86	3.14	4.30	3.53	2.48
n	43		43		39
Dementia severity	6.02	1.78	5.43	1.93	5.34	2.36
n	45		44		41
Length of caring for PLwD (years)	3.78	3.54	3.07	2.26	4.15	3.42
n	45		42		41
Perceived comfort with using technology	9.22	1.35	9.25	1.43	8.49	1.80
n	45		44		40

Note. M = Mean; SD = Standard Deviation; PLwD = person living with dementia.

Dementia severity: How would you rate the severity of the care recipient’s dementia (from 1 to 10, with 1 – mild 5 – moderate, 10 – severe)?.

Data availability statement

The data will be made available upon reasonable request from [email protected].