Home › Research › Disparities
Use of an online community to provide support to caregivers of people with dementia
Pagán-Ortiz ME, Cortés DE, Rudloff N, Weitzman P, Levkoff S.. Journal of gerontological social work, 2014-07-29
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
One challenge faced by many family members caring for persons with dementia is lack of information about how to take care of others and themselves. This is especially important for persons from ethnic minority groups, because linguistically and culturally appropriate information is often not available. In response to these needs, we developed a web site for Spanish-speaking caregivers. Cuidatecuidador.com provides bilingual information on dementia and caregiver issues. Content was developed and then evaluated by caregivers residing in 3 countries. Findings suggest trends that exposure to information may be related to a higher sense of mastery and a reduction of depressive symptomatology.
Key findings
- This is especially important for persons from ethnic minority groups, because linguistically and culturally appropriate information is often not available.
- In response to these needs, we developed a web site for Spanish-speaking caregivers.
- Cuidatecuidador.com provides bilingual information on dementia and caregiver issues.
- Content was developed and then evaluated by caregivers residing in 3 countries.
- Findings suggest trends that exposure to information may be related to a higher sense of mastery and a reduction of depressive symptomatology.
Why it matters
Spanish-speaking families caring for someone with dementia often cannot find information that fits their language and culture. This study built Cuidatecuidador.com, a bilingual website on dementia and caregiving, with content evaluated by caregivers in 3 countries. The authors report only "trends" that using the information "may be related" to caregivers feeling more in control and less depressed. That is an early signal about caregiver well-being, not proof the site works and not evidence about treating or preventing Alzheimer's.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Disparities →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 39/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of gerontological social work) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Journal of Gerontological Social Work: journal h-index 72 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 79 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.6 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 12 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Sue Ellen Levkoff: h-index 53 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of South Carolina: institution h-index 712 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24689359) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 39 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2014.901998
- PubMed: 24689359
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Pagán-Ortiz, M. E., Cortés, D. E., Rudloff, N., Weitzman, P., & Levkoff, S. (2014). Use of an online community to provide support to caregivers of people with dementia. Journal of gerontological social work. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2014.901998
Vancouver
Pagán-Ortiz ME, Cortés DE, Rudloff N, Weitzman P, Levkoff S. Use of an online community to provide support to caregivers of people with dementia. Journal of gerontological social work. 2014. doi:10.1080/01634372.2014.901998. PMID: 24689359.
BibTeX
@article{paganortiz2014-24689359,
author = {Pagán-Ortiz, M. E. and Cortés, D. E. and Rudloff, N. and Weitzman, P. and Levkoff, S.},
title = {{Use of an online community to provide support to caregivers of people with dementia}},
journal = {Journal of gerontological social work},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1080/01634372.2014.901998},
pmid = {24689359},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2014.901998}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
6 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Disparities
Also tagged “prevalence”
1,224 studies in the library carry the topic tag “prevalence”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,224 tagged studies.