Developing an animated COVID-19 e-curriculum for adults with dementia and caregivers: Challenges and solutions.
Deborah M Oyeyemi, Zehra B Omer, Bryan Brown and 5 others
PMID 36371243WHAT IT FOUND
Dementia caregiver educators rated an animated COVID-19 curriculum as very good or excellent and self-reported better ability to explain safety and healthcare navigation.
It was developed and evaluated with staff, not patients or caregivers, so it does not show patient benefit.
Key findings
01Needs assessment with dementia and caregiver educators identified four main pandemic challenges: social isolation, caregiver fatigue, safety issues, and difficulty navigating healthcare.
02Survey respondents wanted new educational resources, with more than 70% interested in information about COVID-19 impacts in older adults with dementia and chronic conditions, and online video was among formats with highest likelihood of use.
03In evaluation, all participants rated the biology video very good or excellent, and over 60% self-reported a great deal or considerable improvement in ability to perform curriculum objectives.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The participants were dementia and caregiver educators/support staff, not adults with dementia or caregivers, so their ratings are proxies for the intended audience. There was no comparator group, and improvement was self-reported rather than measured objectively before and after. The pilot covered only two of four identified themes, so social isolation and caregiver fatigue were less addressed. The content became outdated as pandemic conditions changed and did not cover variants, waning immunity or boosters. The evaluation sample was small: six focus group participants and twelve survey respondents.
Declared interests
No competing interests were declared. The study was conducted as part of a Yale School of Medicine project.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the animated curriculum improves dementia patient or caregiver outcomes. It was rated by educators and support staff, not the intended patients or caregivers, had no comparator group, and used self-reported improvement.