Fei Li

Background: Across countries, most dementia carers report a lack of adequate information about dementia and local services. To address this issue, the World Health Organization developed the iSupport programme to provide information and support to dementia carers. The iSupport online programme was found to be feasible and acceptable by dementia carers. However, the potential of using the iSupport manual (iSupport) specifically for Chinese dementia carers in New Zealand remains unknown. Objective: This study aimed to (1) identify refinements to adapt iSupport by eliciting the perspectives of Chinese dementia carers; and (2) explore the educational needs of Chinese dementia carers, which can inform the development of support programmes tailored to their specific requirements. Design: This was a qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Twelve Chinese dementia carers were interviewed (mean age 58.0 years, 100% female, and mean caring experience of 2.2 years). Emerging themes were identified within three domains: (1) usefulness, (2) complexities of using iSupport, and (3) suggestions for improvement. Conclusions: The findings suggest that Chinese dementia carers generally found iSupport to be valuable, providing valuable insights into how to tailor and enhance support for this population. However, further research is required to empirically validate the effectiveness of the adapted iSupport for Chinese dementia carers in New Zealand. These findings have implications for the development of future interventions that can more effectively address the specific needs of Chinese dementia carers.

Caring for people living with dementia during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted the emotional, physical, and social well-being of carers. However, no study has focused on the well-being of Chinese carers of people living with dementia in New Zealand during the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the support needs of Chinese carers of people living with dementia in New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by two bilingual and bicultural researchers. Thematic analysis was used to explore the resilience resources for Chinese carers. Twelve Chinese carers were recruited from four community organizations in New Zealand. Four themes were identified: (1) social isolation, (2) emotional loneliness, (3) ambivalent feelings of being a carer, and (4) a variety of unmet needs. The findings of our study provide new insights into the multiple support needs of Chinese carers of people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for practice include the establishment of culturally appropriate care support services and the development of tailored resilience-building interventions to address the unmet needs of Chinese carers of people living with dementia.