Project Abstract
Black immigrants are poised to make up a significant portion of the Black older adult population
and similar to U.S. born Black older adults, are at risk of poor health outcomes related to
dementia. However, few efforts have culturally adapted dementia care and caregiving
interventions for racial/ethnic minority populations. Existing adaptations have not been
systematically conducted or documented, and have not focused on Black immigrants. The
objective of this K01 award is to acquire targeted training in the cultural adaptation and
feasibility testing of behavioral interventions for racial/ethnic minority older adults. The
candidate’s training goals are to: 1) Build expertise in dementia, cognitive impairment, and long-
term care for Black immigrant older adults; 2) Expand skills in the development, delivery, and
implementation of culturally relevant behavioral interventions for Black immigrants; 3) Design
and conduct a feasibility study with community dwelling older adults; 4) Apply advanced
statistical methods to analyze paired, longitudinal, pre-and post-test, and clinical trial data; and
5) Obtain the experience necessary to advance as a well-rounded successful independent
scientist (e.g. grant writing expertise, increased first-author peer-reviewed publications,
mentorship of junior scholars etc.). Mentored research training will occur in the context of a
dedicated project with these specific aims:1) Explore the experiences and care strategies used
by Black immigrant older adults with dementia and their informal caregivers. 2) Guided by the
Ecological Validity Model, use the knowledge gained from Aim 1 to culturally adapt the
evidenced-based Active Caregiving: Empowering Skills (ACES) for Black immigrant older adults
with dementia and their informal caregivers. 3) Determine the feasibility and acceptability of the
culturally adapted ACES intervention with Black immigrant older adults with dementia and their
informal caregivers. The candidate’s mentoring team has extensive expertise in these areas and
will offer mentoring, consultation, hands-on training, networking/collaborations and resources to
facilitate the candidate’s career development. The 2020 NIA Dementia Care Summit Gaps and
Opportunities highlights the need for research that explores differences in the effects of social
and cultural determinants of dementia care and caregiving. Completion of this research and
training meets this research need and will enable the candidate to become a successful
independent scientist with substantive expertise in dementia care and cultural adaptation of
interventions for racial/ethnic minority community-dwelling older adults. This is an important step
towards improving health outcomes and eliminating health inequities for these populations.
