As America's population ages and becomes more ethnically diverse, there is growing need for social workers to treat not only individuals afflicted with dementia and their families, but to also understand this illness through the eyes of different ethnic groups. This comprehensive volume provides practical guidance for social work professionals working with Black and Latino families living with the daily challenges of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. It is grounded in the interpretation and meaning of dementia in Black and Latino cultural heritages, and based on both a solid theoretical framework and the substantial research and clinical expertise of the authors.

Chapters include an overview of the epidemiology and clinical course of dementia with a focus on those forms of the disease most common to Blacks and Latinos; an exploration of underlying family care and role responsibilities in ethnic families, self-efficacy and cognitive behavioral problem solving theories as modalities of choice, useful assessment and organizational tools for work with ethnic family caregivers, and how to best implement four specific types of interventions.

• Provides concrete, targeted interventions for assisting ethnic family care givers in confronting day-to-day issues
• Explains how and why self-efficacy and cognitive behavioral problem solving theories are particularly useful for social work with ethnic family care givers
• Offers detailed, step-by-step guide to assessment and intervention
• Includes problem solving forms, documents and additional dementia care resources
• Contains supporting case studies in each chapter

Understanding the role of dementia caregivers in different ethnic and cultural contexts is one of the most important skills that social workers should master. This comprehensive volume provides practical guidance for social work professionals who work with Black and Latino families living with the daily challenges of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. It is grounded in the interpretation and meaning of dementia in Black and Latino cultural heritages, and based on both a solid theoretical framework and the substantial research and clinical expertise of the authors.

Detailed, step-by-step guidelines to assessment and intervention in ethnic-specific situations provide useful strategies that go beyond generic solutions. The text presents an overview of the epidemiology and clinical course of dementia with a focus on those forms of the disease most common to Blacks and Latinos. It addresses family care and role responsibilities in ethnic families and their theoretical, ethnic, and cultural foundations. Self-efficacy and cognitive behavioral problem-solving theories are discussed as modalities of choice. The text also considers financial and service delivery trends and use of technology, and provides detailed forms, documents, and dementia care resources. Numerous case studies will help readers to quickly put information into the context of real-world situations.

• Provides concrete, targeted interventions for assisting ethnic family caregivers in confronting day-to-day issues
• Explains how and why self-efficacy and cognitive behavioral problem-solving theories are particularly useful for social work with ethnic family caregivers
• Offers detailed, step-by-step guidelines to assessment and intervention
• Includes problem-solving forms, documents, and additional dementia care resources
• Contains vivid supporting case studies in each chapter

Section I: Setting the Context for Understanding Ethnic Dementia Care

Chapter 1 - Population and Family Caregiving Trends Influencing Dementia Care

Chapter 2 - Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementia Diseases

Chapter 3 - Concepts and Theories to Understand Caregiving for Ethnic Caregivers

Section II Social Work Process: Tools and Application for Ethnic Populations

Chapter 4 - Social Work and the Social World of Culturally Diverse Caregivers

Chapter 5 - Social Work Roles & Expertise in Providing Services to Ethnic Caregivers

Chapter 6 - Social Work Assessment Tools for Use with Ethnic Caregivers

Chapter 7 - Identifying the Social Work Role and Problem Domain for the Ethnic Caregiver

Chapter 8 - Target Problems and Problem-Solving Goals

Section III Foundations and Future Care

Chapter 9 - Recommended Social Work Practice Strategies