Millions of families caring for someone with dementia face a silent crisis. With minimal formal aged care services, few trained professionals, and almost no support, carers – most of whom are women – often experience anxiety, depression, and financial strain.
Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen, Research Professor at Swinburne University of Technology and the National Ageing Research Institute, has helped to develop a tool that aims to combat isolation, stress and caregiving burden among carers.
iSupport Digital (iSupport-D) is designed to meet carers where they are, in their language, culture and community, addressing long-standing gaps in dementia support for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) families.
iSupport-D builds on nearly a decade of research led by Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen, who has secured more than $22 million in competitive funding and strengthened dementia care collaborations across the Asia-Pacific.
The new initiative expands on the success of e-DIVA (empowering Dementia Carers with an iSupport Virtual Assistant), a landmark project that adapted the World Health Organization’s iSupport program for LMICs and CALD carers.
Funded by a $2.5 million National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and e-ASIA grant, the program was rolled out in Indonesia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and multicultural communities in Australia.
The project developed a digital platform with voice search, short instructional videos, online courses, and service directories, all tailored to local languages, cultural norms, and caregiving realities.
Early outcomes from multi-country pilot trials showed high recruitment and retention, particularly in Australia (94% and 90%) and Indonesia (100% and 95%), alongside promising improvements in caregiving burden, particularly for new carers.
“Carers want information that feels familiar, not foreign, delivered in ways that are easy to understand and use in their daily caregiving,” Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen said.
“e-DiVA showed us how powerful culturally grounded digital tools can be, and that when we co-design programs with communities, carers are more likely to engage and benefit.”
“These families are doing the hardest job with the least support. We need to meet them where they are, in their language, culture, and community, providing practical tools and guidance that truly make a difference.”
Building on this success, Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen will lead iSupport Digital (iSupport-D) in 2026, a $3 million Medical Research Future Fund grant designed for national rollout.
iSupport-D will create a comprehensive multilingual digital ecosystem, including personalised web-based training, culturally tailored videos, mobile app access with offline functionality, SMS-based coaching, online support groups, a service finder linked to existing dementia services, and an empathetic chatbot.
The program will be available in Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and English, with a companion version for CALD aged care staff.
A large randomised controlled trial will assess clinical and cost-effectiveness as well as implementation strategies, paving the way for a fully integrated, real-world dementia support system across Australia.
“iSupport-D is the next generation,” Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen says.
“We’re turning a successful prototype into something ready to meet carers where they are, in their language, culture, and community.”
