Effectiveness of Role Play on Empathy and Quality of Care Among Female Primary Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients During Caregiving

Forgetfulness in the elderly is often dismissed as a normal aspect of ageing, yet it can signal the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This progressive neurodegenerative disorder profoundly impacts patients and their caregivers. This pre-test–post-test study investigated the effects of a 10-day role-play intervention on empathy levels and quality of care among 10 female primary caregivers of home-dwelling AD patients in India. Empathy was assessed using Murthy’s Empathy Scale, while the quality of care was evaluated via a researcher-developed checklist that measured the presence and extent of physical and psychological care domains. Data were analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests due to the small sample size. Results indicated significant enhancements in empathy scores from pre-test (mean = 70.10) to immediate post-test (mean = 81.40; Z = 2.807, p = 0.005) and one-month follow-up (mean = 92.30; Z = 2.807, p = 0.005), with further gains between immediate and follow-up assessments (Z = 2.805, p = 0.005). Psychological care (both presence and extent) improved significantly (p = 0.049 and p = 0.024, respectively), whereas physical care components and total quality of care scores did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that short-term role-play effectively boosts empathy and psychological caregiving but may require supplementation for physical care enhancements. Implications for caregiver training programs in resource-limited settings are discussed.