Evaluation of a culturally adapted reminiscence therapy intervention: Improving mood, family and community connectedness in Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking older adults.

Reminiscence therapy (RT) is an evidence-based treatment for alleviating depression and improving life satisfaction among elders, yet less is known about its efficacy in diverse ethnic groups. We report on the evaluation of a cultural adaptation of the RT intervention that combines reminiscence with three innovative elements: including family members in RT; conducting community events for participants to present their artwork and life-story books created during the intervention; and using ethnically matched bilingual community workers. The 12-week intervention with pre- and post-test assessments was completed by 73 Hispanic and 92 Vietnamese elders (mean age  =  75 years; 62% female; mostly foreign-born, with limited English proficiency).

Service Utilization, Self-Efficacy, Positive Attitude and Well-Being Among Asian American Family Caregivers of Persons with Serious Mental Illnesses.

The well-being of the family caregivers of people with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) is a crucial success factor in the recovery of the afflicted family member. This cross-sectional quantitative study examined the associations between the use of formal mental health services, self-efficacy, and positive attitudes and their effects on the well-being of Asian American family caregivers of people with SMIs. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 116 Asian American family caregivers of people with SMIs in Northern California were recruited for this study.

Exploring caregiving-related experiences among Chinese American and European American family caregivers of persons with mental illness.

Family caregivers (FCs) of people with mental illness (PMI) experience caregiving-related distress. These challenges tend to be greater for Asian American families due to acculturative stress and structural barriers to services. However, little is known about caregiving-related experiences among FCs of PMI within a cultural context.

Vietnamese-American family caregivers of persons with mental illness: Exploring caregiving experience in cultural context.

While involvement of family caregivers can play an important role in the recovery process of persons with serious mental illness (SMI), family caregivers often endure poor health and mental health issues due to caregiving-related distress. These challenges may be exacerbated for Vietnamese American families due to cultural values (e.g.

Mental Health and Stress Among South Asians.

Addressing mental illness requires a culturally sensitive approach. As detailed in this literature review, treating mental illness in the South Asian immigrant community necessitates a thorough understanding of the South Asian conceptualization of mental illness. Past research, though limited, has described the different reasons the South Asian community attributes to causing mental illness, as well as the stigma associated with acknowledging the disease.

Perspectives on enhancing international practical training of students in health and social care study programs - A qualitative descriptive case study.

Background: Internationalization of practical training in health and social care study programs is an important aspect of higher education. However, field mentors' and classroom teachers' competence in guiding culturally diverse students varies widely in European countries, and the majority does not have enough training in guiding foreign students.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine which factors enhance the efficacy of international practical placement experiences in health and social care study programs.

Late Life Immigration and Quality of Life among Asian Indian Older Adults.

Late-life immigration among seniors for purposes of family reunification is a growing phenomenon in developed countries. Using the World Health Organization's Quality of Life instrument short form (WHOQOL-BREF) and other psychosocial measures related to the political/legal context of immigration, and personal and environmental autonomy (mastery, immigration status, access to transportation, and language barrier), this study examined quality of life (QoL) in Asian Indian seniors (N = 109), who immigrated to the United States to reunite with their adult children. The sample scores on Overall QoL and QoL domains (physical and psychological health, social relationships, and environment) were similar to established norms.

Health Promotion Practice and Interprofessional Education in Aging: Senior Wellness Fairs.

Senior wellness fairs (SWFs) offer a unique opportunity for community health promotion and interprofessional education (IPE). The authors describe and evaluate the impact of a 3-year, university-community SWF collaboration on interprofessional competencies among students across multiple professional programs. Participation in the SWF enhanced student knowledge and skills in providing health promotion information to older adults in an interprofessional, collaborative setting as indicated by mean scores on the Perceived Learning Outcomes Survey, an instrument developed for this project.

Expectations of filial obligation and their impact on preferences for future living arrangements of middle-aged and older Asian Indian immigrants.

Filial obligation, described as culturally-defined rights and duties that prescribe how family members are expected to care for and provide support to each other, is an important variable that influences older immigrants' preferences for living and care arrangements. This exploratory study examined variables associated with expectations of filial obligation among middle-aged and older, Asian Indian, first generation immigrants and explored the relationship between variations in expectations of filial obligation and expressed preferences for future living arrangements. Data were collected through telephone surveys of 226 English-speaking immigrants in Atlanta, GA.

Causal attributions of dementia among Korean American immigrants.

To better understand conceptualizations of dementia, this study explored causal attributions of dementia among 209 Korean Americans, using a self-administered questionnaire in Korean. Findings show that Korean Americans endorsed various causal attributions. Factor analysis yielded 3 dimensions of their attributions including psychological, physical/environmental, and cognitive/social.

What do Korean American immigrants know about Alzheimer's disease (AD)? The impact of acculturation and exposure to the disease on AD knowledge.

Objective: The present study examined knowledge of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and factors related to the disease knowledge among Korean American immigrants.

Methods: Two-hundred and nine middle-aged and older Korean American immigrants completed a self-administered questionnaire.

Results: Korean American immigrants had strong stigma about AD and interpreted the disease as a form of insanity.

Limited English proficiency, social network characteristics, and depressive symptoms among older immigrants.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine differences in social network characteristics and their relationship to depressive symptoms among two groups of older Asian Indian immigrants: those with limited English proficiency and those proficient in English.

Methods: Telephone surveys were conducted with 226 English-speaking (Sample 1) and 114 Gujarati-speaking (Sample 2) immigrants in Atlanta.

Results: The samples differed significantly in demographics and patterns of social integration.

Aging services or services to the aging?focus of a university-community curriculum development partnership to increase awareness of aging issues in social work practice.

This paper describes a partnership between social work faculty and community practitioners to develop gerontological curricula to increase awareness of aging issues among social work students. We describe steps taken to identify learning needs of students by examining gaps in the core curriculum and surveying community-based agencies that serve older persons who face a variety of problems. We also describe a unique field education assignment designed to increase awareness of how well community service agencies meet the needs of older clients and provide quantitative and qualitative data on students' overall learning experiences.

The revised CES-D scale for caregivers of the elderly in India.

The purpose of this article is to empirically determine the factor structure of the original Radloff's (1977) Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), on Indian caregivers of the elderly population. The CES-D was administered to 255 caregivers via face to face interviews. The confirmatory factor analysis results did not support the original four-factor theoretical structure, but did suggest a three-factor model.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors among young adult Asian Indians.

Metabolic syndrome has a high prevalence within the U.S population. Asian Indians have a greater prevalence of the chronic diseases associated with this syndrome compared to Caucasians.

Health behaviors, chronic disease prevalence and self-rated health of older Asian Indian immigrants in the U.S.

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlates of healthy behaviors and self-rated health in middle-aged and older Asian Indian immigrants in the U.S. Asian Indian men (n=162) and women (n=64), 50 years of age or older completed a telephone survey which collected information regarding demographics, behavioral risk factors, acculturation, perceived control, quality of social support, depression, body mass index, chronic disease prevalence, and self-rated health.

Strain experienced by caregivers of dementia patients receiving palliative care: findings from the Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts (PEACE) Program.

Background: Programs that provide palliative care to individuals with dementia, which is a progressive terminal illness, are likely to encounter different issues (e.g., management of problem behaviors, caregiver strain extending over years) from those typically addressed by hospice programs.

Resources predicting positive and negative affect during the experience of stress: a study of older Asian Indian immigrants in the United States.

Purpose: Using the life stress model of psychological well-being, in this study we examined risks and resources predicting the occurrence of both positive and negative affect among older Asian Indian immigrants who experienced stressful life events.

Design And Methods: We collected data through a telephone survey of 226 respondents (aged 50 years and older) in the Southeastern United States. We used hierarchical, negative binomial regression analyses to examine correlates of positive and negative affect.

Case management: effects of improved risk and value information.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on resource use of providing case managers with information on the potential for patients to benefit from home care services.

Design And Methods: Twenty-four case managers working in the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) were randomized into treatment and control groups. Members of the treatment group were given patient assessments for 25 ALTCS clients, estimates of the patients' risks for various adverse outcomes, and estimates of the aggregate potential benefit for each patient.

Regional variations in dietary intake and body mass index of first-generation Asian-Indian immigrants in the United States.

Asian Indians (AIs) have considerable within-group diversity in education levels, socioeconomic status, language, and diet based on the region of origin in India. The objective of this study was to determine if dietary intake patterns vary based on region of origin among first generation AI immigrants and if these differences influence body mass index (BMI). AI men and women (n=237), over 40 years, in southern US participated in a telephone survey.

Assessing the effectiveness of a walking program on physical function of residents living in an assisted living facility.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a resident-led walking program at an assisted living facility (ALF). Seventeen women (mean age 80, range 62-99) agreed to participate in a "walking club." Pre and post measurements included the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Assessment of Mobility Problems in Elderly Patients, the Functional Reach Test, and the Barthel Index to measure independence in activities of daily living (ADLs).

The incremental effect of dementia-related problem behaviors on the time to nursing home placement in poor, frail, demented older people.

Objectives: To examine the incremental effect of dementia-related problem behaviors (DRPBs) on the risk of and time to nursing home placement (NHP) in poor, frail, demented older people.

Design: Client assessments were reviewed retrospectively for clinical, functional, and cognitive information, particularly the presence of DRPBs and the time during enrollment at which they occurred.

Setting: The Georgia Community Care Services Program (CCSP), a Medicaid 1915-C home and community-based services program (HCBS).

Nutrient intake of first generation Gujarati Asian Indian immigrants in the U.S.

Objective: To examine the nutrient intake of Gujarati Asian Indian immigrants in the U.S. and the influence of length of residence in the U.

Development of a tool for assessment and care planning for dementia-related problem behaviors in home and community-based services programs: the Problem Behavior Inventory.

Objective: To describe development, validity, and application of the Problem Behavior Inventory (PBI), a tool to assess dementia-related problem behaviors (DRPBs) in community-based populations.

Data Sources And Study Setting: Demographic, contact, and disease-specific data were extracted from client files from a Medicaid-funded home and community-based services program. Primary caregivers completed standard surveys relating to the care recipients' memory, mood, and behaviors.