LAUSR

Social connection is an understudied target of intervention for the health of individuals providing care for a family member with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD). To guide future research, we discuss considerations for interventions to promote social connection, with a particular focus on reducing loneliness: 1) include caregiver perspectives in designing and delivering interventions; 2) adapt to stages of dementia; 3) consider caregiving demands, including the use of brief interventions; 4) specify and measure mechanisms of action and principles of interventions; 5) consider dissemination and implementation at all stages of research. With support from the National Institute on Aging for a Roybal Center for Translational Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences of Aging, we are developing a portfolio of mechanism-informed and principle-driven behavioral interventions to promote social connection in ADRD caregivers that can be flexibly applied to meet a diverse set of needs while maximizing resources and reducing demands on caregivers.