Centre for Policy on Ageing



Awareness and understanding of dementia in African/Caribbean and South Asian families
Author(s)	Joy Adamson
Journal title	Health & Social Care in the Community, vol 9, no 6, November 2001
Pages	pp 391-396
Keywords	Black Caribbean ; Asian people ; Family care ; Dementia ; Recognition ; Qualitative Studies.
Annotation	In-depth interviews were carried out with 30 carers of a person with dementia of South Asian or African/Caribbean origin regarding their awareness, recognition and understanding of dementia symptoms. Maximum variation sampling was used to include carers with a broad range of socio-demographic characteristics. Most participants were aware of the condition "dementia", but used different terms to describe the disorder. Many, however, had not heard of the condition before their relative developed it, suggesting that general awareness of dementia is low. Difficulties can arise in the caring relationship, due to a lack of understanding of the condition - in particular when family members place blame for the symptoms on the person with dementia. The research highlights the importance of raising dementia awareness, and emphasises the importance of health and social services providing clear and understandable information. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-020109212 A
Classmark	TKG: TKK: P6:SJ: EA: 4AD: 3DP
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.