To address the need for accessible, affordable, and sustainable Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregiver interventions with minority populations, we developed the Senior Companion Program Plus, a three-phase pilot study that used a mixed methods experimental design. The intent was to determine if participation in a lay provider, peer-led psychoeducational intervention designed for African American Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregivers ( N = 16) improved caregiver burden and/or stress, coping skills, and social support. Focus groups with Senior Companions informed the intervention design. Quantitative results indicated that caregivers experienced improvement in their overall level of social support and well-being in meeting basic needs. Qualitative findings suggested that caregivers experienced improvement in their knowledge about the disease, experienced increased coping with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregiving, and reported benefits of using a lay provider model. Overall, the data suggest that the Senior Companion Program Plus is a promising intervention for African American Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregivers.

A purposive sample of African American Senior Companions ( N = 23) participated in a 5-day, 20-hour psychoeducational training designed to address the unique cultural needs of African American dementia caregivers. Previous studies have not utilized lay caregiver volunteers such as Senior Companions in dementia research in the United States. Pre- and post-tests were administered to determine whether African American Senior Companions increased their knowledge of Alzheimer's disease after participating in the Senior Companion Program Plus. Results from both the quantitative and qualitative data suggest that participants improved their understanding of Alzheimer's disease. Findings from the Senior Companion Program Plus pilot warrant further study for its potential as cost effective, culturally tailored training for Senior Companions who serve persons with dementia and their family caregivers.

The struggle for work–life balance amongst women in academia who are both mothers and scholars continues to be apparent during a global pandemic highlighting the systemic fissures and social inequalities ingrained in our society, including systems of higher learning. Women of color professors on the tenure track are vulnerable to the intersecting ways capitalism, sexism, and racism exacerbate the challenges faced by motherscholars, making it imperative to explore these nuances. While motherscholars may share advice about navigating family leave policies or strategizing scholarship goals, no one could have prepared us for our motherscholar roles during a pandemic. We were, in some ways, unprepared for giving birth with a heightened level of social isolation and feelings of loneliness, while racial unrest and loud exigencies to protect the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) persist. Through three testimonios, we explore how ancestral/indigenous knowledge provides us with ways to persist, transform, and heal during these moments. We share letters written to each of our babies to encapsulate our praxis with ancestral knowledge on mothering. We reflect on matriarchal elders, constricted movement in our daily routines, and ongoing worries and hopes. We theorize this knowledge to offer solidarity with a motherscholar epistemology.

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