Fields Noelle L, Xu Ling, Williams Ishan C, Gaugler Joseph E, Cipher Daisha J, Cassidy Jessica, Feinhals Gretchen
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.
School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Jul 7;11(13):1966. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11131966.
African Americans adults are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and are underrepresented in research about ADRD. Reducing gaps in the knowledge about ADRD in the African American community is important for addressing dementia care disparities. The existing psychoeducation interventions are often limited by cost and scalability; for these reasons, lay provider (i.e., volunteer) interventions are of increasing interest in ADRD research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a training of African American Senior Companion (SC) volunteers ( = 11) with dementia-specific knowledge (i.e., Senior Companion Program/SCP Plus), as part of a culturally informed, in-home, psychoeducational intervention for African American ADRD family caregivers. Learning outcomes were measured pre- and post-training, using the Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease/dementia scale (KAD), the Sense of Competence Questionnaire, and the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale. The results showed significant improvements in knowledge of Alzheimer's disease/dementia, one competence item, "It is clear to me how much care my care recipient needs", and preparedness for caregiving. Overall, the study findings suggest the SCP Plus is a promising, culturally relevant, and potentially scalable lay provider training for ADRD with potential benefits that augment the existing Senior Companion Program.
非裔美国成年人受阿尔茨海默病及相关痴呆症（ADRD）的影响尤为严重，但在ADRD研究中的代表性不足。缩小非裔美国社区对ADRD认知方面的差距，对于解决痴呆症护理差异至关重要。现有的心理教育干预措施往往受到成本和可扩展性的限制；因此，非专业提供者（即志愿者）干预措施在ADRD研究中越来越受到关注。本研究的目的是评估对11名具有痴呆症特定知识的非裔美国老年陪伴者（SC）志愿者（即老年陪伴者计划/ SCP Plus）进行的培训，作为针对非裔美国ADRD家庭照顾者的一种基于文化的、居家心理教育干预的一部分。使用阿尔茨海默病/痴呆症知识量表（KAD）、能力感问卷和护理准备量表在培训前后测量学习成果。结果显示，在阿尔茨海默病/痴呆症知识、一个能力项目“我清楚地知道我的受照顾者需要多少护理”以及护理准备方面有显著改善。总体而言，研究结果表明，SCP Plus是一种有前景的、与文化相关的、且可能可扩展的针对ADRD的非专业提供者培训，具有增强现有老年陪伴者计划的潜在益处。
