A pilot randomized mobile health mindfulness intervention for older adult caregivers of family members with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

OBJECTIVES: To examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a mindfulness training in lonely older adult caregivers for family members with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias using mobile health technology. METHOD: This was a two-arm randomized controlled trial: 55 caregivers were randomized to a 14-day (a) smartphone-based mindfulness training (Headspace mobile app; n = 24) or (b) active control (Breathing app; n = 31). Loneliness was assessed using end-of-day diary surveys pre- and post-training. RESULTS: A total of 50 caregivers completed the training and pre- and post-training assessments (91%), and all who completed the post-training assessment reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the program. A secondary aim was to examine whether the mobile health mindfulness training intervention reduced loneliness. A mixed effect linear model using end-of-day survey-sampled loneliness showed a non-significant decline in loneliness among participants in the mindfulness group (p =.27). Participants who used the breathing app demonstrated a significant decrease in loneliness (p =.00). CONCLUSION: The 14-day breathing training may have provided a more targeted approach to improving subjective loneliness in this population. Overall, these results demonstrate that older caregivers can use technology to improve experiences of loneliness. TRANSLATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE: Older adult caregivers of family members with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are disproportionately affected by loneliness and social isolation, but interventions to improve loneliness in this population have had limited success. Findings from this study indicate that mobile health mindfulness training is feasible and acceptable for ADRD caregivers experiencing significant loneliness, and that a short-term mobile health breathing intervention can significantly reduce loneliness. These results support the feasibility among older adult caregivers to use mobile health and have access to interventions that improve loneliness.