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Purpose: Little is known about the specific behavioral strategies used by families to manage the physical dependency of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD). This study reports the psychometric properties of the Task Management Strategy Index (TMSI), a measure designed to identify actions taken by caregivers to simplify everyday self-care tasks for persons with ADRD. Relationships between use of these strategies and caregiver and care-recipient characteristics were also examined. Design and Methods: A pool of 20 items was developed and initially tested with 202 family caregivers (Sample 1) recruited for a dementia-management intervention study. Principal axis factor analysis was performed to determine scale structure. Convergent and discriminant evidence was examined using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses with a separate sample of 255 family caregivers (Sample 2) recruited for the Philadelphia site of the National Institutes of Health multisite initiative, Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health. Results: Exploratory principal axis factoring yielded one general factor accounting for 60.2% of variance in the first sample. Nineteen items, loading at 0.3 or above, constituted the final scale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81 in Sample 1 and 0.74 in Sample 2). In Sample 2, TMSI scores were significantly associated with greater functional dependency of ADRD patients, high self-efficacy, and greater use of positive coping strategies. As expected, caregiver upset with disruptive behaviors and caregiver use of criticism-based strategies were not associated with TMSI scores. Higher caregiver education was significantly associated with greater use of task strategies. Implications: Results provide preliminary evidence that the TMSI is an easily administered, reliable, valid scale. Caregivers with lower education may benefit from instruction in the use of these strategies.

Self-stigma is a dimension of stigma concerning how individuals internalize negative attributes and discriminate against their own selves. Dementia is a stigmatizing condition, and there is a paucity of research exploring the manifestations and implications of self- stigma in people living with dementia in various contexts. To examine how self-stigma manifests in the experiences of people living with early-stage dementia in Santiago, Chile. Six men and five women living with early-stage dementia of the Alzheimer's type, aged between 64 and 82 years old (mean = 70). One-on-one interviews were conducted, focusing on the experience of people living with early-stage dementia to provide insights on how self-stigma manifests. Interviews were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis approach using Corrigan's social cognitive model of self-stigma (2016). Self-stigma manifested as devaluation and blame at a cognitive level, and as restriction of participation at a behavioral level. Families and dementia education emerged as contextual elements that influenced the internalization of negative attributes in the participants' experiences. Consistent with previous qualitative research, we found that self-stigma has negative consequences as it concerns emotions, self-prejudices, and self-discrimination. This study provides distinctive insights on the process of internalization of stigma and the influence of external elements. Self-stigma remains an understudied but important feature of the dementia experience, an understanding of which can lead to developing and testing supportive approaches upon diagnosis to minimize its adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minoritized older adults face multiple health inequities and disparities, but are less likely to benefit from evidence-based health care interventions. With the increasing diversity of the U.S. aging population, there is a great promise for gerontology researchers to partner with racial/ethnic minority organizations and underrepresented communities to develop and implement evidence-based health interventions. Community-Based Participatory Research and Implementation Science offer guidance and strategies for researchers to develop and sustain community partnerships. However, researchers partnering with community organizations continue to face challenges in these collaborations, study outcomes, and sustainability. This may be especially true for those junior in their career trajectory or new to community-engaged research. The purpose of this forum article is to detail critical challenges that can affect gerontology researcher–community partnerships and relationships from the perspective of researchers. Seven challenges (pre- or mid-intervention design, implementation, and postimplementation phases) described within the Equity-focused Implementation Research for health programs framework are identified and discussed. Potential solutions are also presented. Planning for potential obstacles of the researcher–community partnerships can inform innovative solutions that will facilitate successful partnerships, thereby promoting the advancement of collaborative research between academic institutions and community organizations to improve older adult health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]