To determine if employees who are concurrently providing informal caregiving for a person with dementia (DCG) experience greater challenges than employees providing informal caregiving to older adu...

Objectives: While family caregivers (CGs) of persons with dementia are cost-effective for the health system, this form of caregiving leads to disproportionate vulnerability to physical, mental, and social adverse health consequences among CGs. The study goal was to determine the effect of the Reitman Centre CARERS program on key outcomes in family CGs of people with dementia. The Reitman Centre CARERS program is an innovative, group psychotherapeutic skills training intervention based on integrated problem-solving techniques (PST), simulation learning, and group psychotherapy designed to address each CGs’ unique situation. Design: A quasi-experimental, non-randomized, pre–post evaluation, multiple groups, multisite trial. Setting: Multisite group intervention provided in community agencies and hospital-based locations. Participants: Spousal or adult child family CGs (n = 264) living in the community and providing care to community-dwelling family members with dementia. Measurement: CGs were assessed for depression (CES-D); stress (PSS); burden (12-item SZBI); role overload, mastery, caregiving competence, and role captivity (Perlin scales), coping (CISS – Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations), CG reactions to CR’s memory and behavioral symptoms (RMBPC). Care recipients (CRs) were assessed on basic and complex activities of daily living (Katz and Lawton). Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis of both the whole group and a more compromised subgroup of CGs. Results: For the group as a whole, CGs showed significant positive change on post-intervention outcome measures of stress, depression, burden, competence, role captivity, overload, mastery, coping, and reaction to memory issues. The intervention showed especially robust effect sizes (ES) in more compromised CGs. These positive outcomes emerged despite a significant measured deterioration in CRs’ function. Conclusion: The CARERS program may be an effective multicomponent intervention to improve the well-being, functioning, and coping skills of dementia CGs.

The majority of family caregivers (CG) caring for older adults, many of whom have dementia, are employees concurrently contending with the work demands and the stress and conflicts of caregiving. Both employers and CG employees are challenged by the need to address this problem. A cross-sectional Canadian survey was distributed nationally to working informal CGs of older adults in 2015 to 2016. It was designed to investigate the relative predictive roles of caregiving variables, job demands, balancing work and caregiving variables, and work-related factors on work and employee outcomes. Our sample was comprised of employees (N = 1,839) who were concurrently providing informal care for an older adult with specific attention to those caring for care recipients (CR) with dementia. We employed hierarchical and ordinal multiple regression to examine CG and caregiving characteristics, family and job demands, and balancing job-caregiving variables as predictors of work-related outcomes including work engagement, employment/employee changes index, absenteeism, and intent-to-turnover. After controlling for CGs’ age, sex, and family financial situation, we found dementia demands, job-caregiving conflict, effective manager, and organizational culture were significant predictors of five out of six work and employee outcomes. Role overload was significantly associated with four outcomes. To our knowledge, this is the first study of this size to explore the association of these predictive variables with work-related outcomes and to refine the understanding of the profile of employed CGs of older adults with dementia. Sustaining working CGs of older adults may require new ‘talent management’ approaches rather than simply increasing the number of benefits.

The number of family caregivers to individuals with dementia is increasing. Family physicians are often the first point of access to the health care system for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Caregivers are at an increased risk of developing negative physical, cognitive and affective health problems themselves. Caregivers also describe having unmet needs to help them sustain care in the community. Family physicians are in a unique position to help support caregivers and individuals with dementia, but often struggle with keeping up with best practice dementia service knowledge. The Dementia Wellness Questionnaire was designed to serve as a starting point for discussions between caregivers and family physicians by empowering caregivers to communicate their needs and concerns and to enhance family physicians’ access to specific dementia support information. The DWQ aims to alert physicians of caregiver and patient needs. This pilot study aimed to explore the experiences of physicians and caregivers of people using the Questionnaire in two family medicine clinics in Ontario, Canada. Interviews with physicians and caregivers collected data on their experiences using the DWQ following a 10-month data gathering period. Data was analyzed using content analysis. Results indicated that family physicians may have an improved efficacy in managing dementia by having dementia care case specific guidelines integrated within electronic medical records. By having time-efficient access to tailored supports, family physicians can better address the needs of the caregiver–patient dyad and help support family caregivers in their caregiving role. Caregivers expressed that the Questionnaire helped them remember concerns to bring up with physicians, in order to receive help in a more efficient manner.

Background: Dementia is a global public health concern, with prevalence projected to reach 78 million individuals by 2030 and 139 million by 2050. Most persons living with dementia reside in community settings and are supported by family caregivers. As caregiving demands grow, caregivers experience significant psychosocial, emotional, and financial burden, including high rates of stress, social isolation, and depressive symptoms. Access to effective support services remains limited, highlighting the urgent need for innovative and accessible caregiver interventions. Objective: This pilot study first aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and tolerability of VR-SIM Carers, a virtual reality (VR)–based psychoeducational training program for family caregivers or care partners of people living with dementia. Second, it will aim to provide a preliminary evaluation of potential impact on caregiver outcomes, including caregiver competence, stress, resilience, empathy, and quality of life. The study is not designed to support causal inference regarding the effectiveness of VR-SIM Carers. Methods: A mixed methods design will be used with a sample of 30 family caregivers of people living with dementia. Participants will complete 3 immersive, self-paced VR caregiving scenarios—Managing Apathy, Crisis Response, and Refusal of Care—receiving real-time feedback from simulated characters, including clinician and person living with dementia avatars. Primary outcomes (feasibility and educational impact) include recruitment, retention, adherence, usability, acceptability, and tolerability and caregiver competence (Pearlin Caregiving Competence Scale), perceived stress (Cohen Perceived Stress Scale), resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), and empathy (Empathy Assessment Scale). Secondary outcomes (preliminary efficacy) include caregiver quality of life (Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire), caregiver burden (Burden Questionnaire), and behavioral symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Short Form) assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up. Feasibility and user engagement will be evaluated via the 18-item Gaming Use Engagement and Severity Scale, Igroup Presence Questionnaire, qualitative interviews, reflection notes, and open-ended feedback. Quantitative data will be analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and paired 2-tailed t tests, while qualitative data will be analyzed using an inductive thematic coding framework. Data analyses are descriptive and exploratory only, and no causal claims regarding intervention effectiveness will be made. Consistent with CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidance for pilot and feasibility studies, caregiver outcomes (eg, competence, stress, resilience, empathy) are treated as exploratory. Results: The findings from this study will inform the feasibility, acceptability, and educational value of immersive VR for caregiver training, while providing preliminary evidence regarding the efficacy of VR-SIM Carers as a training tool to improve psychoeducation outcomes for family caregivers of people living with dementia and reduce caregiving burden. Data collection commenced in March 2024 with a projected end date of March 2026. As of the submission of the manuscript (December 2025), 21 participants have been enrolled. Data analysis will be completed in April 2026, and the results are expected to be published in fall 2026. Conclusions: VR-SIM Carers represents an innovative, scalable intervention designed to enhance caregiver preparedness, psychosocial outcomes, and sustainable community–based dementia care. This pilot study will provide critical evidence to guide further development and implementation of VR-based caregiver support programs.