Development of Online Training Modules on Dementia Care at Home for Family Caregivers

To improve the quality of care and reduce the negative effects of caregiving, modules that address the needs of caregivers must be developed. There hasn't been much progress in Indonesia in creating online training programs for dementia care at home.

This study aims to develop online training modules on dementia care at home that are especially suited to the needs of family caregivers.

The modules were developed using the Sidek Module Development Model (SMDM), which consisted of two stages: [a] developing the module drafts and [b] testing and evaluating the modules. The study involved semi-structured in-depth interviews with fifteen family caregivers caring for older adults with dementia that focused on [i] existing problems and challenges that family caregivers face in caring for older adults with dementia, [ii] the needs of family caregivers in caring for older adults with dementia and self-care, and [iii] strategies to meet those needs. The interview results were analyzed using the collaizi method.

Seven modules were developed based on the family needs in this study, including aging processes in older adults, dementia and its impact, communication adapted to the older adults’ condition, management of issues arising in older adults with dementia, becoming resilient family caregivers, addressing issues faced by family caregivers, and self-help groups. The module content validity scores ranged between 90.73% and 94.73% based on the respective aspects of the modules, with an overall content validity score of 92.79%.

The findings suggest that the online training modules on dementia care at home for family caregivers are appropriate and applicable for online training programs aimed to improve the knowledge and abilities of caregivers in providing self-care and care for older adults with dementia.