Connect2Caregivers: For Interested Participants

Older couple on bench with fruit Peer-to-peer support for dementia caregivers

Mayo Clinic researchers are studying the effectiveness of peer-to-peer caregiver matching for mutual emotional support.

Caring for a family member with dementia is demanding, and research has shown that it can negatively affect caregivers' physical and mental health. The Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center is conducting a study called Connect2Caregivers to develop a unique matching process for connecting current and former caregivers with one another for peer-to-peer emotional support. The study will help researchers learn whether dementia caregivers would find a technology-based caregiver matching program valuable.

Participation

If you enroll in the Connect2Caregivers research study, you'll complete the following activities over the course of the 15-month study:

  • Fill out an online matching profile.
  • Engage with up to five other caregivers with whom you are matched.
  • Complete questionnaires and surveys.
  • Have brief virtual interactions with the study coordinator every three months.

If you volunteer for the study, benefits may include finding new people with whom to share your caregiving experience, as well as giving and receiving emotional support related to dementia caregiving.

Eligibility

You may qualify for the Connect2Caregivers research study if:

  • You are a current or former dementia caregiver.
  • You have access to the internet.

You cannot volunteer for the study if:

  • You are not able to provide informed consent.
  • You have been in your caregiving role for less than three months.
  • You are a professional caregiver.