Although data indicate that Alzheimer's disease occurs among all racial and ethnic populations, the Alzheimer's disease support group system is used nationally primarily by white, middle-class caregivers. Developing a model ethnic-specific support group for Hispanics requires delineation of formal and informal health care networks in the ethnic community, training of indigenous group leaders, implementation of community compatible support groups, outreach to hidden caregivers, and evaluation of process and impact. A project developed by the Sun Coast Gerontology Center at the University of South Florida to provide direct service to Hispanic caregivers involved support group meetings held monthly in a Hispanic hospital and led by both gerontology professionals and indigenous leaders. The group was found to represent a fictive kinship network unit for participants who were primarily adult children of parents coping with Alzheimer's disease. The older generation Hispanics seldom attended the meetings. Although the fear of social stigma, the feelings about gossip being sinful, the tabu against revealing personal matters, the use of folk medicine, and the belief in the occult are problems specific to the Hispanic culture which may affect support group efforts, projects such as the Latin Alzheimer's Support Group can be therapeutic to Hispanic caregivers when developed and maintained in a culturally sensitive manner. (NRB)