Dementia‐friendly faith village worship services to support African American families: Research protocol

Abstract

African American caregivers for persons living with dementia frequently experience emotional strain, burden, social isolation, and depression. One source of support for them when in distress is their church community. However, many African American churches do not have programs to support families and congregants living with dementia. Dementia often restricts persons living with dementia and their caregivers from attending church. Both become increasingly uncomfortable in church settings due to fear of embarrassment, uncertainty about the behavior of the person living with dementia, and shame. Church attendance and religion has been shown to be beneficial for caregivers and elders living with dementia. However, there is little work exploring how involvement in religious practices together (caregivers and persons living with dementia) might enhance the quality of life for these families. This protocol is written to detail the designing and testing of the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a dementia‐friendly faith village worship service. In the study, we will examine how dementia‐friendly faith village worship services support the well‐being of caregivers and care recipients in three African American churches through observation, interviews, and surveys. A sample of 30 dyads of African American caregivers and persons living with dementia will be asked to attend six modified worship services together over 6 months. In this study, we hope to demonstrate the significant role of churches in the lives of African American family caregivers and persons living with dementia and show that a faith‐based, family‐oriented approach can promote a greater quality of life for African American families living with dementia.

African American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS2) pilot study: Outcomes analysis.

“…Last, only a limited number of studies have evaluated the impact of CBI on changes in depression and health status in African American CGs of older adults with dementia. Tailoring of intervention to the faith traditions of this population, particularly the role of faith sharing, scripture and prayer, has been largely ignored (Epps et al, 2019). Note that integration of such spiritual elements into the fabric of CBI may not only augment the desirability and impact of treatment for distressed African Americans CGs, it has the potential of yielding similar results for CGs with strong faith traditions from other races and ethnicities, such as Hispanic-Latinos, Arab Americans, and Asian Americans (Balbim et al, 2019; Meyer et al, 2020; Sayegh et al, 2013).…”

Family Caregiving for People with Cancer and Other Serious Illnesses

“…Epps described Alter, a faith-based community program. Epps and her colleagues launched Alter in 2019 to encourage culture change, shift perceptions about dementia, and strengthen support services within and in partnership with African American churches (Epps et al, 2019(Epps et al, , 2020a(Epps et al, , 2021(Epps et al, , 2022Gore et al, 2022). 19 Epps pointed PREPUBLICATION COPY-Uncorrected Proofs out that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are the fourth leading cause of death among older African Americans.…”

A dementia-friendly church: How can the African American church support families affected by dementia?

“…This study was one of the first steps in a three-phase project to design dementia-friendly faith villages to support African American families (Epps et al, 2019). Results from this study were shared with the project design team.…”