Cross-cultural research into cognitive impairment and dementia: some practical experiences
✍ Scribed by Marcus Richards; Carol Brayne
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 482 KB
- Volume
- 11
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6230
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Most people acquainted with Raymond Levy will be aware of his lively internationalist outlook, his polymath facility and his ceaseless curiosity about different cultures. It is no surprise, therefore, that a body of cross-cultural work has flourished within his research group. Some of this work has focused on cognitive impairment and dementia in older Afro-Caribbean migrants to the UK. In this article we will attempt to highlight the relevance and context of this work, and to describe some aspects of our own research in progress.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH IN DEMENTIA
The detection and management of dementia among ethnic minority elders has received little attention, even though this disorder is associated with considerable disability and suffering. There are at least three broad reasons for conducting research in this area. The first concerns the development of adequate mental health services for ethnic minorities in the UK. Little is known about the mental health needs of these communities and concern has been expressed that dementia is under-recognized within them. In particular, Norman (1985) has suggested that ethnic minority elders in the UK face 'triple jeopardy' because of age, racial discrimination (including cultural barriers such as language and religion) and socioeconomic disadvantage.
Secondly, at the conceptual level, the consideration of any construct from different perspectives