Understanding the extent of knowledge of dementia, and caregiving experiences of Southeast Asian Immigrants in Iowa

Lee Jasmine

This study investigates the level of knowledge about dementia among Southeast Asian immigrants in Iowa. Dementia is a significant public health concern, that disproportionately affects immigrant populations due to factors such as, education, language barriers and cultural differences ––that prevent maintenance of cognitive health and access to manage it– among other constraints. This research assessed the level of understanding of the signs and symptoms of dementia and identifies the gaps on the burdens of caregiving. The study used an online survey to collect data. A quantitative frequency analysis was on knowledge and care of dementia from a sample of 39 Southeast Asian immigrants living in Iowa. Statistical methods like frequency distributions and correlation analysis were used to score knowledge levels of dementia across different ethnic and demographic groups. Overall, 67% of respondents did not have full confidence in recognizing signs and symptoms of dementia and there was variation in the levels of confidence in understanding dementia based on country of origin. Variation in confidence levels by countries, can be explained by ethnic or cultural differences. Among all the independent variables, age, gender, years lived in the United States and country of origin had statistically significant correlation with understanding dementia in terms of knowledge and care. However, there are many needs of this community regarding care of older adults and those with dementia with most respondents indicating that they need training on caregiving (86.70%), support from other family members (86.7%), and making connections with others with similar experiences (66.7%). Respondents also indicated that they needed support in the following areas: managing behavioral changes (75%), finding healthcare services (71.9%) understanding dementia symptoms (65.6%), legal and financial planning (56.3%), and caregiver stress management (56.3%). The study highlights the experiences of a specific Asian immigrant group in the State of Iowa. The findings indicate that Southeast Asian immigrants in Iowa need support in caring for older adults and understanding dementia and the aging-related conditions. Despite the existence of a high 96.8%. of the respondents indicating that they know what dementia is, it turns out that 65.6% do not have full confidence in understanding the signs, symptoms, and terminology related to dementia, and are misinterpreting symptoms. This contrast in the results can be explained by errors made by the respondent when a yes or no response is used as an indicator, not giving respondents a chance to consider uncertainty on a likelihood scale of 0, 0.1, 0.2, …1.0 in order to reflect confidence levels in using signs and symptoms to determine dementia.

Understanding the extent of knowledge of dementia, and caregiving experiences of Southeast Asian Immigrants in Iowa

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