Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual "Dementia Awareness for Caregivers" Course in Brazil and India

OBJECTIVE: To establish whether a virtual dementia awareness course is feasible for caregivers of people with dementia in Brazil and India. METHODS: A pre/posttest single group, multisite feasibility study, mixed methods exploratory design was applied. Primary caregivers of people with dementia in Brazil and India took a 3 to 4-hour course adapted for online delivery, with 10 to 15 caregivers. Measurements encompassed self-reports of carer competence, attitudes to dementia, and caregiver burden; satisfaction questionnaire completed immediately after the intervention; open-ended questions at 1-month follow-up to assess if caregivers applied information to caregiving role; semistructured interviews about how the intervention changed caregivers’ behavior and attitudes towards dementia. RESULTS: Of the 70 caregivers who received the intervention (Brazil = 34; India = 36), 54 (77.1%) completed postintervention outcomes, and 39 (55.7%) completed questionnaires at 1-month follow-up assessment. Significant improvements were observed in attitudes to dementia in both countries and self-perceived carer competence (in India) postintervention. The themes from the 9 semistructured interviews were: acceptability, feasibility, change of behavior/attitude, and suggestions for future sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Dementia awareness course was a feasible online intervention to improve dementia awareness among family caregivers across countries. It offers a standardized yet flexible methodology, with promising outcomes that need to be evaluated in a full randomized controlled trial.