The Senior Companion Program Plus: An Innovative Training Approach for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Neuroscience

Background:

• African American adults face disproportionately higher rates of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).
• Underrepresentation of African Americans in ADRD research exacerbates dementia care disparities.
• Scalable and cost-effective interventions are needed to bridge knowledge gaps in the African American community.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a dementia-specific training program (Senior Companion Program/SCP Plus) for African American Senior Companion (SC) volunteers.
• To assess the impact of the culturally informed, in-home psychoeducational intervention on SCs' knowledge, competence, and preparedness for supporting ADRD family caregivers.
• To determine the potential of lay provider training to augment existing ADRD support programs.

Main Methods:

• A training program (SCP Plus) was administered to 11 African American SC volunteers.
• Learning outcomes were measured using pre- and post-training assessments: Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease/dementia scale (KAD), Sense of Competence Questionnaire, and Preparedness for Caregiving Scale.
• Data analysis focused on improvements in dementia-specific knowledge and caregiving readiness.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in participants' knowledge of Alzheimer's disease/dementia (KAD scores).
• Participants reported enhanced competence in understanding care recipient needs.
• Preparedness for caregiving significantly increased post-training.

Conclusions:

• The SCP Plus training is a promising, culturally relevant intervention for lay providers in ADRD care.
• This lay provider training model demonstrates potential for scalability within the African American community.
• Findings suggest SCP Plus can effectively augment the existing Senior Companion Program, improving support for ADRD family caregivers.