A Peer Support Intervention for Black Family Caregivers of Persons Living With Dementia: A Feasibility Study

Black family caregivers of older adults living with dementia are at high risk for physical, spiritual, and psychosocial challenges. Culturally responsive interventions are needed to address disparities in this population. Peer mentorship may improve caregiving support for Black caregivers. The purpose of this National Institute on Aging Stage Model 1A study was to test the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of the Peer Support for Black Family Caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia (Pair 2 Care) intervention.

Pair 2 Care is a culturally responsive, non-judgmental, flexible, co-designed virtual peer support intervention in which former caregivers are paired as peer mentors with current caregivers for 6 months. We enrolled 11 former caregivers (mentors) and 15 current caregivers (mentees) for a total of 15 mentor-mentee pairs. Four mentors were double-paired while maintaining 1:1 mentor-mentee relationships. Mentors' and mentees' activities were monitored using surveys to ensure they were carried out as designed. Feasibility and acceptability were measured by evaluating inclusion and exclusion outcomes, recruitment, and retention data, satisfaction, and appropriateness of Pair 2 Care.

All mentors and mentees were female and mostly daughters (65%) who currently or previously cared for an older adult parent who lived with dementia. Pair 2 Care was highly feasible and acceptable based on participant enrollment, mentor training completion, and mentee-mentor pairing within 10 weeks. Former caregiver mentors were retained at 90% and mentees at 93% over 6 months. On average, participants rated their overall Pair 2 Care satisfaction as very high (4.6/5).

Pair 2 Care may provide an innovative strategy to improve family caregiver health outcomes such as quality of life among Black caregivers of Black people living with dementia to promote health equity. As a next step, a fully powered trial is needed to determine Pair 2 Care intervention efficacy.

ClinicalTrials.gov: USGOV NCT06064955.