Cultural issues related to management
| ISSUE | EXPLANATION | ACTION |
|---|---|---|
| Most of the care of ethnic elderly patients with dementia is given by their families and informal caregivers | Lack of knowledge about dementia assessment centres (geriatric and psychiatry assessment clinics) and formal care services | Promoting awareness and education of specific services is a crucial aspect of health services utilization5 |
| Awareness of specific services is an important aspect of dementia health services utilization; ethnic caregivers are often less knowledgeable about dementia assessment centres and formal care services for demented patients | Increase public awareness about dementia and mental disorders among ethnic elderly and their family caregivers by providing a forum or group where issues of dementia, caregiving, and diversity (eg, dementia information sessions for caregivers) can be discussed in community-based locations | |
| Provide culturally sensitive, relevant materials about dementia written in their language | ||
| Complementary and alternative medicine | Use of complementary and alternative medications or culturally specific home remedies for memory problems is not uncommon among ethnic elderly | Inform patients that complementary and alternative medicines are not harmless medications and discuss the benefits and risks of these medications (eg, Gingko biloba) |
| Caregivers’ attitudes | Some ethnic caregivers are reluctant to admit to the stress of caregiving; there are cultural implications to not accepting the caregiver role | In order to provide effective dementia care for ethnic elderly, physicians need to earn the trust of patients and their families7 |
| Many ethnic caregivers are reluctant to use formal support services, including home care services, respite programs, or day programs | Culturally appropriate dementia care services should be provided by multilingual or bilingual and minority health care workers | |
| Cultural obligations of these caregivers lead to underutilization of long-term care services among some ethnic groups |