A single mindfulness session with informal caregivers of seniors living with dementia: a pilot qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that informal caregivers who are providing care for seniors with dementia experience daily stressors due to their demanding caregiving roles. Current research recognizes the positive impact of mindfulness on caregivers' well-being. However, there is an existing gap in the current literature about informal caregivers' own perceptions and understanding of mindfulness intervention.
OBJECTIVE: To address this gap, this pilot study aims to explore informal caregivers' experience of a single mindfulness session and the feasibility of mindfulness to be integrated into their daily lives.
METHODS: Six informal caregivers who are providing care for seniors living with dementia participated in this qualitative descriptive study. Thematic analysis was used to derive themes to understand the participants' experience of a brief mindfulness session.
RESULTS: The findings of the study generated five major themes: (1) Comparison of mindfulness with other relaxation techniques; (2) Single mindfulness session as a social learning opportunity; (3) Positive impact of practicing mindfulness; (4) Perception about barriers to practicing mindfulness; and (5) Perception of self-efficacy to practice mindfulness in the future. DISCUSSION: The study participants perceived mindfulness to be beneficial for their overall well-being. In addition, as participants were beginners of mindfulness, they considered mindfulness technique to be easy to learn through single practice session and feasible to be integrated into their daily lives.
CONCLUSION: This qualitative study highlights that as little as brief 15 min of mindfulness session is perceived positively by informal caregivers. There is a need for further research on the long-term outcomes of practicing mindfulness among informal caregivers of seniors.