Dementia Awareness Campaign in the Latino Community: A Novel Community Engagement Pilot Training Program with Promotoras CLINICAL GERONTOLOGIST Askari, N., Bilbrey, A., Ruiz, I., Humber, M., Gallagher-Thompson, D. 2018; 41 (3): 200–208

Abstract

To create a curriculum about Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and to train Promotoras affiliated with a local community education and health advocacy organization, in order to raise awareness and knowledge of what dementia is, and how it can be recognized, in persons of Hispanic/Latino descent.Community based participatory research (CPBR) model was used to create materials, implement training, and engage/empower Promotoras to educate the local community.Pre-post findings indicated a positive learning experience for the Promotoras and willingness to share new dementia information with their community. One year post-evaluative survey with a subset showed outreach to an average of 15-25 community members, indicating positive reception of this new information.CPBR model is a successful education and outreach tool with Latino communities. Our Dementia Awareness Campaign was a success with the first 20 Promotoras trained; at present we plan to train additional groups in nearby communities with significant Hispanic/Latino populations.In order to get Latinos to seek early detection, we need to first educate them about dementia, win trust, and encourage treatment-seeking. Early intervention, diagnosis, and prevention will benefit from educational campaigns using the CBPR model.

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View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5935246