African-American Lay Pastoral Care Facilitators’ Perspectives on Dementia Caregiver Education and Training

Authors

Nik M. Lampe, Florida State University College of MedicineFollow
Nidhi Desai, University of Florida Department of Radiology in the College of MedicineFollow
Tomeka Norton-Brown, Florida State University College of MedicineFollow
Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski, Florida State University College of MedicineFollow
Robert L. Glueckauf, Florida State University College of MedicineFollow

Abstract

The African-American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2) is a faith-integrated, skills-training and support program for distressed African American family caregivers of persons living with dementia across Florida. Caregivers participate in a 12-week, telephone-based, skills-building and support program led by faith community workers (i.e., lay pastoral care facilitators) who provide volunteer services to their denominations. In this case study, we examined facilitators’ perspectives and recommendations for supplementary audiovisual and written training materials to optimize group process and goal-setting skills. Utilizing a qualitative approach, we explored facilitators’ needs, experiences in using current training materials, and recommendations for supplementary education. Data were collected through a telephone-based, focus group interview with nine ACTS 2 facilitators deploying grounded theory techniques. We identified six themes: personal reflections on facilitator roles and responsibilities, satisfaction with existing written materials, desire for supplementary audiovisual training materials, desire for additional training on data management and reporting, importance of peer support, and fostering a faith-integrated culture within the program. Our findings underscore the importance of engaging African American faith communities in fostering dementia caregiving skills training and support. We further highlight the implications of providing community-based training for African American facilitators to foster caregiver emotional well-being and physical health.

Keywords

African American, caregiving, dementia, education, facilitators, faith, faith community workers, focus group, families

Author Bio(s)

Nik M. Lampe is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Geriatrics and ACTS 2 Project in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Mx. Lampe is also a PhD Candidate in Sociology at the University of South Carolina. Correspondence regarding this manuscript can be addressed directly to: nlampe@fsu.edu.

Nidhi Desai is a Diagnostic Radiology resident with the University of Florida and an MD Graduate at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Correspondence regarding this manuscript can be addressed directly to: ndes0002@radiology.ufl.edu.

Tomeka Norton-Brown is Project Coordinator of the ACTS 2 Project in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Correspondence regarding this manuscript can be addressed directly to: tomeka.norton@med.fsu.edu.

Alexandra "Xan" C. H. Nowakowski is an Assistant Professor of Geriatrics and Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Dr. Nowakowski is also the lead program evaluator and qualitative methodologist for the ACTS 2 Project. Correspondence regarding this manuscript can be addressed directly to: xnowakowski@fsu.edu.

Robert L. Glueckauf is Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine and Director of the ACTS 2 Project. Correspondence regarding this manuscript can be addressed directly to: robert.glueckauf@med.fsu.edu.

Acknowledgements

This paper was partially supported by grants from the Health and Resources and Services Administration Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, Joseph G. Markoly Foundation, Synovus Corporation, and Florida State University to the fourth author. The first author also thanks Dr. Andrea K. Henderson for her mentorship, expertise, and support in relation to the first author’s work on this project.

Publication Date

2-5-2022

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2022.4917

Recommended APA Citation

Lampe, N. M., Desai, N., Norton-Brown, T., Nowakowski, A. C., & Glueckauf, R. L. (2022). African-American Lay Pastoral Care Facilitators’ Perspectives on Dementia Caregiver Education and Training. The Qualitative Report, 27(2), 324-339. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.4917

ORCID ID

Nik M. Lampe 0000-0003-1692-6740; Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski 0000-0002-9072-2482; Robert L. Glueckauf 0000-0003-2864-9525