Piloting an mHealth-delivered Mindfulness Therapy With Patients With Serious Illness and Their Caregivers to Alleviate Symptoms of Anxiety

Research: Up to 70% of adults with serious illness have symptoms of anxiety. Undiagnosed and undertreated anxiety contributes to higher risk of pain, depression, fatigue, dyspnea, and polypharmacy. Patients with high symptom burden and anxiety heavily impact family caregivers, which nearly 8 million older adults in the U.S. rely on for assistance. Decades of research reveal the negative effects of caregiving on caregivers, (e.g., high levels of stress, depression, and anxiety). Furthermore, there is a mutuality of distress in the caregiver/patient dyad - when patients suffer psychologically, the caregiver suffers too. Unfortunately, older adults and their caregivers have limited access to mental health resources because of shortages of mental health providers as well as logistical issues including time constraints, transportation, and scheduling. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Mindfulness Coach, an mHealth Mindfulness Therapy intervention developed by the Veterans Affairs, to reduce anxiety in older adults with serious illness and their family caregivers. An efficacious and scalable behavioral intervention that mitigates symptoms of patient and caregiver anxiety has the potential to reduce distress and enhance coping in the patient-caregiver dyad without contributing to polypharmacy or burdensome appointments. Research is urgently needed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of dyadic mHealth mindfulness therapy in older adults with serious illness and their caregivers.