Pathways to care for Alzheimer's disease among Korean Americans.
Little is known about how Korean Americans make decisions whether to seek help when, experiencing symptoms that might signal dementia. In Study 1, patient registry data for 60 Korean and 212 non-Korean Alzheimer's disease patients revealed that both groups waited 3-4 years before seeking help and sought help when memory decline was accompanied by other problems. Among Korean Americans, those living with family were more impaired than those living alone, suggesting greater, delay in seeking help. In Study 2, 109 Korean Americans ages 18-73 were surveyed concerning acculturation, knowledge, and help-seeking attitudes. Those more familiar with dementia symptoms indicated they would seek help, supporting the value of public education.
Watari
Kecia F
KF
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. kwatari@mednet.ucla.edu
Gatz
Margaret
M
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States