# Empowering community health workers in dementia care in South Texas

## TL;DR

Training community health workers in Texas improved their confidence and preparedness to provide dementia care, especially for minority communities.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of targeted training in empowering community health workers to address dementia care disparities.

## Key findings

- Training significantly increased CHWs' confidence in providing dementia care (p < 0.001).
- Qualitative analysis identified five primary roles of CHWs in dementia care.
- Training interventions can help close knowledge gaps in dementia care for underserved communities.

## Abstract

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias disproportionately affect minority racial and ethnic communities. Community health workers are essential in addressing these disparities. We evaluated the impact of an educational workshop focusing on improving knowledge and preparedness in dementia care. Sixty-one CHWs attended in-person sessions in Texas and completed surveys to measure confidence and plans to apply the knowledge gained. Results revealed a significant increase in confidence in providing dementia care post-training (p < 0.001). Qualitative analysis identified five primary roles of CHWs. These findings demonstrate the potential of training interventions to improve knowledge gaps and empower CHWs to address dementia in underserved communities.