Perceived Benefits and Barriers of mHealth Mindfulness Use for Caregivers of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Qualitative Exploration.

Caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment found a mindfulness therapy mobile app easy to use and beneficial, with convenience and flexibility being key reasons for regular use. Six themes emerged from interviews with 15 caregivers: convenience, barriers, perceived helpfulness, useful features, suggested improvements, and skill transfer. Barriers were noted, but the app was seen as a promising self-directed intervention, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that mHealth mindfulness therapy may offer additional support for caregivers.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mobile (mHealth) mindfulness-based interventions have the potential to be feasible, acceptable, effective, and scalable interventions for caregivers of people living with cognitive impairment. This qualitative study of caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment explored caregivers' experiences using a mindfulness therapy mobile application. Fifteen caregivers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Analysis was guided by the phenomenological approach and inductive-deductive analysis. Six themes were generated from the data: convenience, barriers, perceived helpfulness, useful features, suggested app improvements, and skill transfer. Caregivers reported that the app was easy to use with many perceived benefits. Caregivers also noted some barriers to using the app. This study revealed that self-directed mHealth delivered mindfulness therapy may be a promising intervention for the caregivers involved in the study. Having the ability to use the app anywhere and at any time was a prominent reason for continued regular use for the participants. This was especially important to some caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The barriers discussed by the caregivers are important considerations for future app-based interventions for caregivers. Clinicians can consider recommending mHealth mindfulness therapy to caregivers as a tool to provide caregivers with additional support.