Development of a mobile application to give personalized support to Alzheimers family caregivers

Kinto, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

More than five million people in the United States have Alzheimer?s Disease, and another fifteen million people provide unpaid care for their loved ones suffering from this condition. As the US population ages, the burden of Alzheimer?s Disease and Alzheimer?s Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) is growing, placing increasing demands on family caregivers, who spend an average of 21.9 hours per week providing personal and home care. Half of all caregivers for AD/ADRD sufferers report feeling emotional stress, resulting from the practical, financial, and emotional strains of this role. Family caregivers need more help, and a significant majority want technology to support them in their caregiving activities; however, technology solutions are limited, adoption rates are low. Kinto has begun to address this gap by developing the first generation of a mobile application designed to support the activities of family caregivers. This version provides practical advice on caring for the elderly, tools to document medications and day-to-day changes in wellbeing, and effective ways to help families stay connected in the caring process. Kinto is now proposing the development of an AD/ADRD version of the app, specifically tailored to the needs of families caring for this condition. Our vision is shared by the Alzheimer?s Association, who have partnered with Kinto to support this initiative. Phase I aims are: SA1: Needs Determination and Design: Kinto will work with the Alzheimer?s Association and AD/ADRD caregiving families to understand their specific caregiving needs and design application features to support their caregiving activities in consultation with geriatric care managers. SA2: Develop Prototype: Kinto?s engineering team, which successfully developed the first generation of the application, will build and test the prototype for iOS and Android users. SA3: Validate and Iterate Prototype: The app will be deployed to AD/ADRD caregiving families for testing and to preliminarily determine its impact on caregiver burden. The goals of the application will be to increase family engagement in AD/ADRD caregiving activities, reduce caregiver burden and stress, and provide family caregivers with access to guidance relating to AD/ADRD caregiving from the Alzheimer?s Association.