| Sumario: | Background In Canada, an unprecedented number of friends and family are caregivers. Caregiving is known to impact psychological wellbeing, especially when a loved one has dementia, although good family functioning and high self-efficacy are associated with increased resiliency. Emerging care coordination technologies aim to ease the burden of care; however, little is known about their effectiveness. This case study aims to evaluate the usability of a care coordination application (app) and its effectiveness at easing caregiver burden. Methods Data from 2 dyads (primary and secondary caregivers) were analyzed from a total 4 family participants who were recruited from a Toronto-based memory clinic to use the app, Zalio™ to coordinate care for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease for 6 weeks. Zalio's developer trained participants prior to practice and active use phases. System Usability Scale (SUS) assessed perceived usability every 2 weeks. The Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy, Short version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and General Functioning (GF) subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) measured caregiving self-efficacy, caregiver burden, and perceived family functioning, at baseline and week 6. Results All participants rated Zalio™ a usable and above average app (SUS > 68). No consistent improvement was seen in self-efficacy. Caregiver burden scores decreased on short version of ZBI in secondary caregivers. GF scores on subscale of FAD decreased in primary caregivers and one secondary caregiver. Implications Our research is a first step towards understanding the usability of a care coordination app. Further studies with larger samples are required to determine its effectiveness at easing caregiver burden.
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