Reaching the heart of the caregiver

Rapidly increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking Hispanic elders portend similar increases in dementing disorders among this group; this, in turn, points to increasing numbers and challenges among the family caregivers (Janevic & Connell, 2001; U.S. Department of Commerce, 1996). Successful programs have been developed to equip non-Hispanic family members to effectively assume the caregiving role. This article reports on preliminary efforts to transform one such psychoeducation program into the "Cuidando con Respeto" program, a culturally appropriate, Spanish language program for Hispanic family caregivers. Principles of development, results from the prototype program, and future evaluation developments are presented.