Caring for Dementia Caregivers in Ethnic Immigrant Communities

Summary

Many caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias-especially those in immigrant communities who don't speak English well-don't get access to helpful, proven support programs. This is especially true for Korean American caregivers. To address this, the investigative team adapted an existing caregiver support program (called the Savvy Caregiver Program) to better fit Korean culture and language. This new version, called K-Savvy, is a 6-week online program taught in Korean. In an earlier small study, K-Savvy worked well: caregivers found it helpful, were willing to use it, and showed fewer symptoms of depression. Now, the investigative team wants to study it more carefully to see how well it really works and why. The study has two main goals: Goal 1: The investigative team will measure whether K-Savvy improves caregivers' well-being-specifically whether it reduces stress and depression and helps them feel more positive about caregiving. The investigative team will also look at why it works, focusing on whether it changes how caregivers think about their situation (for example, feeling less overwhelmed and more confident). Goal 2: The investigative team will talk directly with caregivers and program instructors to understand their experiences with K-Savvy. This will help the investigative team learn what worked well, what didn't, and why.

Eligibility

Age range

18+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  K-Savvy

  Funded by the NIA (R21AG071790, PI: Jang), our team successfully completed linguistic and cultural adaptations of the Savvy Caregiver Program (SCP) for Korean American dementia caregivers with limited English Proficiency. The Korean version of the SCP (K-Savvy) has shown high feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy.

• Behavioral
  Healthy Living

  6-week online health education for Korean Americans with limited English proficiency

Location