Lessons learned from implementing a psycho-educational intervention for African American dementia caregivers

Despite the fact that African American, Latino, and Asian Americans represent the fastest growing segments of the population in the United States over the age of 65, they remain understudied in intervention research. This article describes the process of developing and implementing a psycho-educational intervention for African American caregivers which was informed by a review of the care giving and intervention literature, and stress, appraisal, and coping theory. The intervention included 12 modules that lasted approximately 90 minutes each. Participants were recruited from the local Alzheimer's Association, local area churches and social clubs, and primary care physicians. The article discusses issues that came up during the pilot test and highlights the importance of participant input, in the design, implementation, and evaluation of intervention programmes.