Interventions for Hispanic Caregivers of Patients with Dementia: A Review of the Literature

Background: The number of Hispanics/Latinos living with dementia in the United States is expected to rise from 200,000 to 1.3 million by 2050, which will result in large numbers of Hispanics/Latinos assuming the role of caregiver. The demands of caregiving can negatively impact caregivers' health. The purpose of this review was to identify intervention strategies that can help Hispanics/Latinos deal with the burden associated with providing care for older adults with dementia. Methods: The authors critically reviewed and analyzed the literature for interventions and their relevance to these caregivers. The search engines and electronics databases of Google Scholar; Social Gerontology; Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition; MEDLINE; PsycARTICLES; CINAHL; and PubMed, were used to locate articles published between 1999 and 2011. Results: Ten intervention studies published between 2000 and 2011 were identified that targeted Hispanic/Latino caregivers: most were from one clinical trial (REACH). Discussion: Future studies should consider culturally tailoring interventions for Hispanic/Latino caregivers from differing subcultures, utilizing relevant technology in studies, and evaluating the functional level of the care receiver and assess where he/she is in the disease process continuum. A better understanding of within-group differences among Hispanic/Latino caregivers, especially with respect to acculturation, could lead to better tailoring of interventions. Future research should consider the possibility of discovery-based participatory approaches. Few studies have addressed these areas of concern in this population.