Preliminary results of a feasibility study of CONFIDENCE: An intervention to reduce financial strain among Latino family caregivers

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundLatino/Hispanic family caregivers to persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) spend 47% of their annual income on the out‐of‐pocket costs of caregiving compared to 26% of annual income spent among caregivers of any race or ethnicity.1 This presentation describes the preliminary results of the CONFIDENCE psychoeducational intervention, developed to reduce the out‐of‐pocket care costs and financial strain among ADRD Latino/Hispanic caregivers. Intervention components were designed to build caregiver resourcefulness, posited to help caregivers displace some out‐of‐pocket costs by increasing the use of community resources. CONFIDENCE consists of five, 1.5‐hour group Zoom sessions. To ensure the intervention was culturally tailored, CONFIDENCE was developed with a Community Advisory Council and informed by qualitative interviews with Latino family caregivers.MethodCONFIDENCE has been delivered at a community agency since May 2022. Data reported here are from the first 5 intervention cohorts. Participation in the study was optional. Study participants were asked to complete a self‐administered online baseline survey before the first session, followed by two surveys sent immediately and 2‐months post‐intervention. Eligible caregivers were Latino/Hispanic, cared for someone living with ADRD for at least 6 months, and were aged 50 or older. (See NCT05292248.) All sessions were delivered in English. Spanish delivery will begin in March 2023.ResultCONFIDENCE was delivered to 27 caregivers, although 55 caregivers registered to attend (49.1%). Of those who attended any of the five sessions, participants attended an average of 2.9 of 5 (SD = 1.4) sessions. Among those who attended at least one session, 56.5% expressed an interest in learning more about the research study when they registered. Of those, six caregivers were eligible to participate and enrolled into the study. Despite lower‐than‐expected participation, those who completed the intervention report high satisfaction. All study completers “Agreed” or “Strong Agreed” that they would recommend CONFIDENCE to others.ConclusionInitial findings suggest a 5‐week, Zoom‐delivered financial psychoeducational intervention may only meet the needs of a narrow portion of ADRD Latino family caregivers. To increase participation, researchers intend to explore alternative forms of delivery that require less time commitment.