Dementia Caregiving: Burden and Help-Seeking in Latinos

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this Mentored Patient- Oriented Research Career Development Award is to further the growth of my research skills so that I can become an independent and productive researcher focused on reducing family caregiving burden and improving care for Latino elderly with dementia-related mental and behavioral disturbances. This Award builds directly on my training in medical anthropology, health services research, and geropsychiatry. The five-year plan for career development emphasizes four areas: 1) longitudinal quantitative methods and analysis, 2) qualitative methods and analysis, 3) cultural dimensions of Latino family caregiving, and 4) geropsychiatric aspects of dementia assessment and management. Five different learning modalities are emphasized: a) formal coursework, b) supervised reading tutorials, c) research colloquia and seminars, and d) on and off-site practical with mentors. The final and most important modality is supervised development and implementation of a longitudinal research project. The research project I propose is a three-year investigation that integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to assess burdens that family caregivers of elderly face and where they turn for help. This project's specific aims are a) to identify factors (e.g., disease characteristics, caregiver characteristics, illness meanings, social network features, accessibility Of the local health care system) that influence whether and where Latino families seek help for dementia neuropsychiatric symptoms, and b) to examine the mental health consequences (e.g., caregiver strain due to neuropsychiatric symptoms. depressive symptoms, cultural idioms of distress) of dementia neuropsychiatric symptoms on family caregivers. The learning goals and career development activities outlined in this revised application will equip me to be a successful and independent investigator in minority aging, a clinical expert in assessing dementia and in managing related mental and behavioral disturbances, and a mentor for the next generation of investigators.