 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Dharma E. Cortes, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, 781-321-1038, decortes@aol.com
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. A recent study indicates that by age 90, Latinos are twice more likely to develop AD than whites (Tang et al., 1998). There are findings that suggest that Latinos are at a significantly greater risk for symptom severity, in part due to diagnosis at later stages of the disease (Henderson, 1990, 1996). Latinos suffering from AD are more likely to live with relatives than whites, and are usually cared for by daughters and sons (Yeo et al., 1996). It has been suggested that these daughters and sons are intergenerational brokers between the AD patient and the health care system (Henderson, 1996). This exploratory study focuses on caregivers, the family members of those who assist Latino elders with Alzheimer’s disease. The study assesses the needs that caregivers have for information that is relevant to the chronic illness but also the impact the stress of care has on the caregiver and the needs for information about the caregiver role. This pilot study combines qualitative and quantitative methods. Two ethnographic research methods were used: participant observation and open-ended interviews with caregivers. Collection of quantitative data included: sociodemographic information, acculturation level, health literacy levels as well as other caregiver-related indicators. Findings highlight the importance of taking into account not only health literacy issues when producing informational materials, but other contextual factors such as culture, access to care, caregiver burden, and family dynamics among others.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Literacy, Latino Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.