Survey on Tele-Rehabilitation Therapy Awareness Among Primary Caregivers of Dementia Patients

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the awareness of primary caregivers for patients with dementia on tele-rehabilitation and the need for tele-rehabilitation therapy.Methods: The participants in this study are those who care for dementia patients and those who directly care for dementia patients, such as relatives, caregivers, or nursing assistants.The survey was conducted from May 20 to June 20, 2024 through an online questionnaire.The SPSS 23.0 program was used to analyze the collected data, and frequency analysis and a 5-point Likert scale were used.A Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to find out the correlation between the general characteristics of dementia patient caregivers and their awareness of tele-rehabilitation therapy.Results: Most of the respondents said that tele-rehabilitation treatment is possible and that it will help with the painful area.They answered that it will be easy to utilize the treatment space and communicate with the physical therapist, and that it can also help dementia patients.The correlation between participant characteristics and awareness of tele-rehabilitation therapy showed a negative correlation in the questionnaire and gender, age, care time, care period, and rehabilitation experience, and a positive correlation in the questionnaire and age, location, and desired therapy area.Conclusion: Tele-rehabilitation therapy is a therapy method suitable for patients in special environments with limited time and movement, such as caregivers of dementia patients, so it is necessary to provide them with as much information and assistance as possible.