Lakshminarayanan, Monisha

Background: A caregiver support group was initiated at the Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, India. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate this service for 100 caregivers of persons with dementia, identify the needs met and explore the facilitating factors and barriers for participation. Findings: The support group met the information, emotional and counselling needs of caregivers. Trust between members was a key facilitating factor.

Objective: To describe the experiences and needs of caregivers of persons with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in a city in India. Design: Qualitative study using a telephonic semistructured interview. Setting: A specialist geriatric outpatient mental health service based in a nongovernmental organization in Chennai, India. Participants: A purposive sampling of family members of persons with dementia registered in the database and seen within the previous 6 months.