The Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-imagery (SHARP) Program is a recently developed culturally celebratory, multimodal approach to physical, social, and reminiscence activity. The SHARP walking application, accessed on a group tablet, is preloaded with 72 themed, 1-mile neighborhood routes with GPS-linked Memory Markers, historical neighborhood images and questions, to prompt conversational reminiscence about Black life, history, and culture. In this Stage I study, walking triads consist of a healthy or mildly cognitively impaired (MCI) primary dementia caregiver (aged 55+), the care partner - a person living with early-stage dementia (PLWD) or MCI (aged 55+), and a healthy or MCI caregiver support person (aged 18+). Triads walk 3x/week over 16 weeks in the gentrifying, historically Black neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon. The primary caregiver wears an actigraphy watch, uses an under-the-mattress sleep sensor, and on a weekly basis, measures weight on a study-provided digital scale and completes a health update survey. Watch, sleep sensor, and weekly measures are optional for the PLWD. We aim to (1) adapt SHARP implementation, technology, and protocol for caregivers of PLWD, and (2) test preliminary efficacy of this intervention on dementia caregivers' physical and mental health.
The Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-imagery (SHARP) Program engages triads (primary caregiver, person living with dementia, caregiver support person) in walking and social reminiscence, using a group tablet to access routes and historical neighborhood images serving as conversational prompts. Focus is on adapting the SHARP model to older Black dementia caregivers and on caregiver physical and mental health. Study technology measures sleep and daily step count. Weekly online surveys assess health status. Pre-post assessments measure cognitive function and mental health. Focus groups assess adaptation needs, feasibility and acceptance, and cultural significance.