Alzheimer’s Texas Case Study

Two masked individuals sit side by side working on laptops at a table. The person on the right is designing a digital flyer on Canva with the title "Someone with Alzheimer’s lives here," featuring a photo of an older adult and purple-themed graphics. The workspace includes additional materials and a brick wall background, suggesting a classroom or design lab environment.

Designing a new service model for respite care delivery

Challenge

How might we connect Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers and help ensure they receive the support they need in the COVID-19 era?

Context

Our society struggles to address the challenge of caring for caregivers. Specifically related to dementia, most of the care is provided by informal family caregivers who endure substantial stress without much support. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought existing respite care—in-person, group gatherings that provided a few hours of relief to caregivers—to a screeching halt. These changes called attention to the shortcomings of the existing systems in providing financial, social, and physical support for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers.

This challenge prompted a team of five M.A. in Design focused on Health learners to form a partnership with Alzheimer’s Texas to more deeply understand, through several areas of design, how to provide this respite for caregivers during the pandemic and beyond.

Approach

Design a community-based approach to caregiver support that offers a more personalized, scalable model for respite—one that can adapt across different groups.

A storyboard-style compilation of cartoon illustrations narrates a sequence related to the "Parade Pod Program." It features a central character, Maya, interacting with a pod coordinator, reviewing a pod agreement, meeting with peers outdoors, and communicating virtually with another character, Rob. The visuals show elements like signage, calendars, and digital platforms, suggesting themes of community coordination, remote collaboration, and supportive housing environments.

Insights

  1. There is no one-size-fits-all respite approach for either the caregiver or the individual with Alzheimer's—needs vary greatly by lived experience, circumstance, and culture.
  2. The pandemic has heightened the inherent tension between the detrimental health effects of isolation and the need for caregivers to have physical and emotional relief.
  3. While respite provides caregivers with a few hours of immediate relief, it doesn't address the root causes of their stress—and it sometimes only delays the next stage of care.
  4. Technology is not a silver bullet for connectivity and community, but it can provide silver linings for caregivers—especially in a pandemic.
  5. Respite programs depend almost entirely upon volunteer efforts and are also limited by their constraints, making success highly variable from program to program.

Service Blueprint PDF

Outcome

Improved model for caring for the caregivers.

The pod-style respite care program design included a foundational instruction guide, a caregiver support journal, and a community engagement kit. Based on the feedback about the service model, the team folded in opportunities for the pod to set expectations for their group with quarterly check-ins with program coordinators and care providers, and weekly satisfaction metrics. These initiatives provided a sustainable way for users to safely and effectively participate in respite care services in the context of COVID-19.

Recommendations

A printed setup guide for the "Parade Pod Program" by Alzheimer’s Texas is shown against a purple and off-white background. The cover features a line-drawn elephant illustration with bold white text. The open spread outlines six illustrated steps to starting a pod: contacting Alzheimer’s Texas, matching pod members, an introductory meet and greet, agreeing on terms, launching the pod, and conducting a three-month assessment. The layout uses a dotted arrow path to connect each step visually.
A deep purple trifold brochure for the "Parade Pod Program" by Alzheimer’s Texas is displayed on a lavender background. The cover features a detailed elephant illustration with the program title in white. The inside spread outlines the program’s structure and features a flowchart and icon key. The icons represent different roles and resources in the pod system, such as social workers, healthcare providers, and care partners, with a clear visual system for understanding participant responsibilities.
A soft-toned, five-panel design of an Alzheimer’s caregiver support journal is shown flat against a gray background. The center panel, titled “A Journal for the Journey,” features elegant handwritten typography. The left panels explain the mission of supporting caregivers and define ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) and IADLs (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living). The right panels offer caregiving tips, with gentle illustrations demonstrating techniques for comfort and communication, such as singing, si
A deep purple door hanger hangs on a modern silver door handle against a white door. The hanger reads "PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB" in bold lavender text, followed by check-marked requests: “Please do not knock,” “No solicitors,” and “In case of emergency, please call the following number,” with a white blank space for writing. At the bottom, it states, “This home is Dementia Friendly,” accompanied by an illustrated elephant in the lower-left corner.
A side-by-side image. On the left, a table displays Alzheimer's Texas materials, including a “Please Do Not Disturb” door hanger, a large sheet with an illustrated elephant, a blue pen holder, and a dark purple delivery box with a small elephant charm. On the right, three children kneel in a front yard installing a purple sign that reads “OUR HOME IS DEMENTIA FRIENDLY” with elephant artwork and informational text. A brick house and trimmed shrubs are in the background.

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Learn More

Find out more about Alzheimer’s Texas.

Design Team

Danielle McGuinness

Jessica Murray

Sandy Rodriguez

Emily Rowe

Sophia Testa

Project Summary

To address the strain on dementia caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, students partnered with Alzheimer’s Texas to design a scalable, community-based respite care model. The pod-style program included caregiver tools, check-ins, and satisfaction tracking—offering flexible, personalized support while maintaining safety and connection during times of isolation.

Project Contributors

Alzheimer’s Texas

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