This exploratory study examined rural African American clergy's knowledge of and experience in providing support to African American elders with late-life depression. Interviews were conducted with nine African American clergy who oversaw rural churches in central Kentucky. Jorm and colleagues provide a conceptual framework for mental health literacy to explore participants' knowledge of late-life depression. Although few clergy had direct experience with counseling a depressed older adult, all the clergy were considered literate regarding late-life depression and its treatment. These findings have implications for social workers building collaborative community treatment relationships.
Transitional care programs have emerged as successful models of care in which to reduce cost and improve health outcomes. However, few transitional care models have directly incorporated the expertise of the pharmacist as an integral member of the care coordination team. Therein lies an inherent limitation of many community-based transitional care programs, the underutilization of pharmacist during all stages of the care transition process. In 2013, the Hampton Roads Care Transitions Project (HRCTP), a partnership between Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia Area Agency on Aging in Norfolk, VA and Hampton University School of Pharmacy, was established. The goal of the HRCTP is to provide medication management services to reduce preventable hospital readmissions for adults 60 years of age and older with targeted diagnoses. Pharmacists work in collaboration with social workers who act as HRCTP care transition coaches. Between May 2017- October 2018, 678 patients were enrolled in the HRCTP. The hospital readmission rate among patients with targeted diagnoses was reduced by 55.3% with an absolute percentage point reduction of 9.9% and estimated savings amount per avoided readmission of $14,400. Patients who participated in the HRCTP showed a 14% increase in the Patient Activation Assessment indicating an improvement in self-managing efficacy. 93% of patients/caregivers indicated they felt more confident in their ability to manage their health, and 91% expressed satisfaction with the program. The program has proven effective in assisting seniors to remain in their home, reducing hospitalizations, promoting health, increasing patient satisfaction, and reducing healthcare cost.
The normalization of memory loss continues to contribute to diagnostic delays among older adult African Americans with dementia. We utilized an innovative recruitment method to establish a solely online study to examine perceptions and knowledge levels of Alzheimer’s Disease in a highly educated geographically diverse cohort of 223 African Americans aged 50-84. Participants were recruited through largely electronic communications. Sample participants were primarily female (n=196), with 51.1% having completed a master’s degree, and 58.2% of participants with household incomes of $90,000 or higher. Study findings revealed that although highly educated, 42% of sample participants believed significant memory loss was a normal part of aging and 59.6% felt that God’s Will was a possible cause of AD. A sizable majority of participants, 86.5%, felt most family physicians were not trained to diagnose AD. Findings underscore the need for physician and community education within diverse populations, regardless of education and SES status.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.