Lay Coach-led Early Palliative Care for Underserved Advanced Cancer Caregivers

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SUPPLEMENT PROJECT SUMMARY This application (a Diversity Supplement to Dr. James N. Dionne-Odom’s parent award entitled, “Lay Coach-led Early Palliative Care for Underserved Advanced Cancer Caregivers”) describes the background and experience of the applicant, Erin R. Harrell, PhD and her plan to acquire knowledge and training necessary to become a leading independent researcher in developing interventions that optimize bereavement outcomes in African American (AA) caregivers of persons with advanced cancer. The overall goal of this supplement is to gain advanced training in qualitative research, intervention development, and health coaching/motivational interviewing in order to explore components that could be included in an intervention to help African American caregivers cope with disease progression when a patient experiences cancer related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Specific training objectives during the supplement include (1) deepening understanding of patients and their families, to: 1a) augment knowledge and skills in health coaching and 1b) attain experience in stakeholder- informed intervention development; (2) acquiring new skills in advanced qualitative interviewing and advance understanding of community engagement in research using mixed methods to design and lead intervention development relevant to family caregiving; and 3) developing practical skills and scientific management and leadership to support development as an investigator and equity leader. The research aim during the supplement phase is to better understand how African American caregivers cope with CRCI and what they value as being helpful in improving bereavement outcomes to lessen psychological distress. To date, there has been little research examining how AA family caregivers cope with care recipient CRCI along the advanced cancer trajectory, from diagnosis, to end of life, to bereavement. Using a qualitative approach based on the Integrative Risk Factor Framework, one-on-one interviews will be conducted with 15-25 African American caregivers of patients with advanced cancer participating in the parent R37 (R37CA252868) to ascertain the needs and challenges related to their care recipients CRCI. Aim 1: Identify the experiences, needs, and attitudes of African American/Black family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer who currently are or may experience CRCI. Aim 2: Elicit feedback on potential support strategies that might help African American/Black family caregivers cope with caring for patients with advanced cancer who experience CRCI, including adjustment after death. Results from this study will be foundational to a K01 application to develop and pilot an intervention to support AA caregivers dealing with care recipient CRCI in order to help them better cope and adjust to their relative’s death in bereavement.