Social Research, Policy, and Practice
Noelle Fields, PhD, LCSW (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas, United States
Ling Xu, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas, United States
Allison Gibson, PhD, MSW (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
Social Work
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Ling Xu, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas, United States
Ishan Williams, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
School of Nursing
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Joseph Gaugler, PhD, FGSA (he/him/his)
Professor and Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging
School of Public Health
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Jinyu Liu, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
Baylor University
Waco, Texas, United States
Noelle Fields, PhD, LCSW (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas, United States
There is a continued need for accessible and cost-effective community-based services and supports for family caregivers and persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). Utilizing trained volunteers may offer a scalable approach to filling gaps in ADRD care and support. This symposium will provide evidence for utilizing trained volunteers in innovative interventions designed for family caregivers and persons living with dementia. The first paper presents findings from the Senior Companion Program Plus, an intervention using lay providers to deliver a culturally informed psychoeducational intervention with African American ADRD family caregivers. The second paper highlights the Faith Care Family Project which utilizes trained church volunteers from predominantly African American churches to reach African American ADRD family caregivers. The third paper explores the PorchLight Project, a dementia-capable training and respite delivered by volunteers for older people living in the community throughout Minnesota and in select regions of North Dakota. The fourth paper presents findings from an intervention using trained, experienced Chinese dementia caregivers to be volunteer mentors to newer dementia caregivers in the same ethnic community. The final paper presents findings from a telephone-based, intergenerational reminiscence intervention with college student volunteers and persons living with cognitive impairment that incorporates digital storytelling. The symposium will conclude with a critical reflection on the empirical contributions needed to advance scholarship on leveraging volunteers to meet the needs of family caregivers and persons living with ADRD.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ling Xu, PhD (she/her/hers) – The University of Texas at Arlington
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ishan C. Williams, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers) – University of Virginia
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Joseph E. Gaugler, PhD, FGSA (he/him/his) – University of Minnesota
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jinyu Liu, PhD (she/her/hers) – Baylor University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Noelle L. Fields, PhD, LCSW (she/her/hers) – The University of Texas at Arlington