Webinar: Time for Living and Caring – An approach to planning respite time to maximize caregiver benefit

Rebecca Utz, PhD and Catharine Sparks, MSc, from the University of Utah described the results from a five-year National Institute on Aging (NIA) funded study to develop and test a respite-focused intervention, Time for Living and Caring (TLC). TLC is an app that was designed to support caregivers by helping them plan for and make the most effective use of their respite time. Family caregivers who plan for and spend their respite time in ways that are meaningful to them have more long-lasting beneficial outcomes. Dr. Utz first presented on her proposed study at the ARCH Respite Research Summit in 2020.

A public and free version of the app was shared as a resource to provide to family caregivers.  Download this flyer to access the app and related resources.

RELATED RESEARCH

Eli Jacob, Michael Caserta, Gary Donaldson, Catharine Sparks, Alexandra Terrill, Amber Thompson, Bob Wong, and Rebecca L Utz, Evaluating the Efficacy of Time for Living and Caring: An Online Intervention to Support Dementia Caregivers’ Use of Respite, Innovation in Aging, Volume 8, Issue 5, 2024. Full Article

Thompson AD, Sparks C, Wong B, Jacob E, Terrill AL, Caserta M, Utz RL. Using Digital Inequality Framework to Evaluate a Technology-Delivered Intervention for Caregivers: Age, Education, and Computer Proficiency. J Aging Health. 2025 Jan;37(1-2):106-116.  Public Access Author Manuscript

Coleman, M. E., Godfrey, D. A., Thompson, A. D., Sparks, C., & Utz, R. L. (2025). Improving Respite Outcomes for Caregivers: Who Benefits and Under What Conditions? Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0(0). Abstract.