Empowering African American Women Informal Caregivers: A Literature Synthesis and Practice Strategies

Through a synthesis of literature on caregiving, empowerment, social inequalities, and racial disparities in health and income, the authors built an argument for African American women caregivers' vulnerability to powerlessness and the applicability of an empowerment approach to social work practice with these caregivers. The article discusses two realities of African American women caregivers' experiences (strong coping and vulnerability) and two relevant theoretical frameworks (stress and coping and empowerment frameworks) for framing these experiences. Drawing on empowerment and other relevant literature, the authors recommend three practice strategies with these caregivers.