Online Psychoeducation as an Alternative for Family Caregivers of People with Dementia in Rural and Urban Indonesia: A Narrative Review
Yokanan Apta Nayottama1, Sheila Maryam Gautama2*
Abstract
Indonesia is ageing rapidly, with 11.93% of people aged 60 years or over in 2025 and 20.9% projected by 2050. Estimates of people with dementia range from about 1.2 million to more than 4 million, and families provide most care. Support is limited by an unevenly distributed and poorly trained primary care workforce and by specialist services concentrated in large cities. This narrative review, without systematic screening, examined online psychoeducation as an alternative or complement to onsite delivery for family caregivers of people with dementia in rural and urban Indonesia. Indonesian work consists of adaptation and development studies, including the iSupport adaptation and online home-care modules, and none has tested outcomes or compared online with onsite delivery. International evidence suggests caregiver benefits, especially from multicomponent programmes with professional input, but it comes mostly from higher-income settings. Internet use was 79.13% in urban areas and 63.71% in rural areas in 2024, and Puskesmas staff knowledge of dementia was low. Dementia is often seen as normal ageing (pikun), stigma is common, and family obligation and ethnic diversity shape care. Online psychoeducation is plausible but unproven and should not stand alone. A hybrid, culturally adapted approach with offline materials and facilitation by trained kader or Puskesmas staff is favoured, and pilot trials and primary care dementia training are priorities.
Keywords
dementia; caregivers; psychoeducation; online intervention; iSupport; Indonesia; rural health
Cite This Article
Nayottama, Y. A., Gautama, S. M. (2026). Online Psychoeducation as an Alternative for Family Caregivers of People with Dementia in Rural and Urban Indonesia: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Scientific Advances (IJSCIA), Volume 7| Issue 5: Sep – Oct 2026, Pages 629-634 URL: https://www.ijscia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Volume7-Issue5-Sep-Oct-No.1083-629-634.pdf
Volume 7 | Issue 5: Sep – Oct 2026
