Geographic Information System (GIS) Based Intervention 'Viamigo' for People With Dementia and Their Informal Caregivers: A Single-arm Trial to Evaluate the Feasibility and Preliminary Participant Responses
The main objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of the Geographic Information System (GIS)-based mobile application 'Viamigo' among people with dementia living in the community and their informal caregivers. Viamigo aims to support the independent out-of-home mobility of the user and to reduce informal caregiver's burden by teaching users a known individual route, which they can accomplish independently while being monitored by an informal caregiver. Although Viamigo was initially developed for persons with intellectual disabilities, it is expected that it can also support and improve out-of-home mobility and thereby the social participation of people with dementia. The design of the study is a mixed methods single-arm pre-post design with a baseline assessment, a 3-month intervention period, and a post-intervention assessment. Dyads (n=24) of people with mild to moderate dementia living in the community and their informal caregivers will use the mobile application for 3 months. The main study parameter is the feasibility of the Viamigo intervention for people with dementia and their informal caregivers. Secondary study parameters for people with dementia include out-of-home mobility and social participation. Secondary study parameters for informal caregivers include quality of life, caregiver burden, and gains in dementia caregiving.
• Capacity to give informed consent;
• Diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia as evaluated by a healthcare professional and as reported by the person with dementia and the informal caregiver (by asking when and where the person has been diagnosed and by who);
• Living in the community (alone or with family/roommate(s)/friends);
• Taking part in social activities outside the home;
• Availability of an informal caregiver who is interested to take part in this study;
• Having an Android smartphone, as the Viamigo application to be used by the person with dementia is currently exclusively available for Android.
• Family caregiver of participant diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia;
• Aged 18+;
• Having at least weekly contact with the person with dementia;
• Having an Android or Apple smartphone and laptop/computer.