The Senior Companion Program Plus

Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) is one of the most challenging chronic health conditions in the United States and considerable disparities exist in the diagnosis and prevalence of ADRD among communities of color. Research suggests that ADRD caregiver interventions have demonstrated efficacy, however, it remains unknown whether existing ADRD caregiver interventions are useful or accessible to African American ADRD caregivers in community settings.

The primary goal of the proposed project is to develop an in-home psychoeducational intervention (The Senior Companion Program Plus, or SCP Plus) that is accessible, sustainable, and affordable for African American ADRD caregivers. The SCP Plus will focus on African American ADRD caregivers who are particularly affected by poverty, discrimination, and barriers to health care services and supports. A recent pilot study has established the feasibility and utility of SCP Plus. With the assistance of 6 student research assistants over the course of the project, we will implement the SCP Plus at sites in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, recruiting approximately 114 participants. The participants will be randomized with 57 caregivers receiving the SCP Plus and 57 caregivers receiving services as usual with the Senior Companion Program. A weekly, 60 minute psychoeducational module will be delivered face-to-face across 9 weeks and will focus on education about ADRD, behavior management, communication skills, and aspects of providing care that enhance meaning such as spirituality. In order to provide an accessible and cost effective intervention that is potentially sustainable, senior companions will be trained to provide the intervention in the homes of the African American ADRD caregivers.

Specific Aim 1. Determine whether SCP Plus reduces level of burden and stress among African American caregivers over a 3- and 6-month period when compared to a usual care control group.

Specific Aim 2. Ascertain if SCP Plus improves coping skills among African American caregivers over a 3- and 6-month period when compared to a usual care control group.

Specific Aim 3. Examine whether SCP Plus improves the level of satisfaction with support social among African American caregivers over a 3- and 6- month period when compared to a usual care control group.

Specific Aim 4. Explore and interpret the statistical results obtained in the first quantitative phase to help explain why participants who scored in the lower and upper quartiles on caregiver burden/stress were impacted or not by the usefulness of the intervention.

Successful design, delivery, and evaluation of the SCP Plus will lead to a cost effective, sustainable, and accessible intervention that can be implemented in other Senior Companion programs across the country, thus maximizing its impact as a community-based program to address the needs of African American ADRD caregivers.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

A. Senior Companions have to be currently participating in the Senior Companions Program B. Senior Companions have to be currently providing respite services to the caregivers C. Family caregivers must self-identify as African American D. Family caregivers must be at least 21 years of age E. Family caregivers must provide unpaid care for an older adult with ADRD F. The persons with ADRD must have a physician diagnosis of ADRD and live at home in the community.

G. The capacity for and willingness to provide written informed consent, to accept the randomized group assignment, to attend all study related visits, and to comply with the study protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

A. Family caregivers who are involved in another caregiver psychosocial intervention study or have an acute illness that would prevent them from participating for at least 6 months will not be eligible.

B. Self-identified non-African American caregivers will be excluded from enrollment in the study, because of the specificity of the cultural components of the Senior Companion Program Plus being tested.

C. Senior Companions who are not serving a client with ADRD from African American backgrounds will be excluded as the Senior Companion Program Plus is designed for dementia family caregivers.