amily caregivers who provide care for people with dementia, often experience a physical and mental impact also known as “caregiver burden”. A new digital service tool - the "dementia caregiver traffic light" - aims to make them aware of their level of personal burden so that they can take countermeasures.
The “dementia caregiver traffic light” is an online-self-test that was developed by the dementia research project “Digital Dementia Register Bavaria”, in short digiDEM Bayern: https://digidem-bayern.de/
Key points:
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The dementia caregiver traffic light is a low-threshold digital service that offers the possibility to address family caregivers early.
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As a digital tool, it is especially useful now, during the Corona pandemic, which has made the situation for family caregivers more difficult.
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It is possible to add additional languages and to integrate the tool into other websites, for free.
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It is free of charge.
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It is based on scientific studies.
Based on ten questions, covering topics such as physical exhaustion, and contentment with life, family caregivers can find out what their individual situation is. The result - green, yellow or red – comes with a recommendation for the next steps, thus providing an impetus to improve their life situation. The online self-test can be performed anonymously and free of charge. It is currently offered in four languages: German, English, Turkish and Russian: https://digidem-bayern.de/angehoerigenampel/
Integrate the service into your own website!
You can integrate the new digital service tool into your own website, free of charge and the service can be extended for further languages without programming knowledge. All you need is a Word Press website. digiDEM Bayern will then provide you with the plug-in and installation instructions.
If you are interested, please contact: trafficlight@digidem-bayern.de
Efficacy proven in extensive studies
The dementia caregiver traffic light is based upon the short form of the "Burden Scale for Family Caregivers BSFC-s". This survey instrument was developed by scientists at the Centre of Health Services Research in Medicine at the University Hospital of the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. It is available in over 20 languages and has been used worldwide for six years. In an extensive scientific study with 351 family caregivers, it was proven that the BSFC-s reliably measures the extent of the stress experienced by family caregivers. In another study with 386 family caregivers, the validity of the traffic light system was proven. The results showed the risk of health impairment a family caregiver faces based upon a given stress score on the BSFC-s. On this basis, a classification was made which formed the template for the traffic light system.
https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2318-14-23
https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-018-3047-4
Digital support services for everyday life
The dementia caregiver traffic light is one of several online services provided by digiDEM Bayern. The aim is to support people with dementia, family caregivers, and volunteers by providing digital solutions suitable for everyday use. In addition, digiDEM Bayern includes research of people with dementia and family caregivers over a period of three years. The aim is to gain insights into the course of the disease and the situation of the family caregivers.
The dementia research project digiDEM Bayern is conducted by the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the University Hospital Erlangen, and the Innovation Cluster Medical Valley EMN. It is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care:
