Cultural diversity in dementia education is the focus of a University
of Tasmania study aimed at further broadening dementia education in the
community.
People from migrant communities who are living with
dementia, and their carers, are needed to participate in the research being
carried out by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre in a
Tasmanian pilot study.
Wicking Centre lecturer Sunny Jang, who was inspired to look
further into the need for more cultural diversity in dementia education from
her own multicultural background, said there were many similarities but also
big differences in how different communities approached dementia.
“Due to a strong stigma associated with dementia in some
migrant communities, people with dementia don’t have a strong voice and it is
often culturally difficult for a community to accept dementia as a medical term,
so there is a lot of misunderstanding,” she said.
“In some cultures, younger females are also vulnerable,
because it’s part of their inherited duty and responsibility to look after
family members with dementia which can stop them looking for jobs, completing
their education and from social interaction.
“It can also be difficult for people from migrant
communities to access dementia education because of language barriers.”
The project, which is also being supported by the Migrant
Resource Centre in Hobart, still needs more participants.
“We have just started recruitment and have some carers on
board but are still looking for people with dementia from culturally and
linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD),” Ms Jang said.
“It’s very important to hear the authentic voice of people
with dementia and for them to be given the opportunity to speak out and share
their experiences.”
Ms Jang said she considered the project a great opportunity
to share this important aspect of dementia education with the community.
“I’ve been exposed to different communities for the past 20
years and the stigma and challenges are different but also commonly shared –
but very different from Australian culture,” she said.
“I’m doing this research and trying to circulate it to as
many people from diverse backgrounds to let them know dementia can be a common
topic for daily conversation and communications – it’s not something they need
to hide and its okay to ask for help.”
Around 10 volunteers are required to share their experiences
for the pilot study.
Participant’s stories will be ultimately developed as educational
resources and case studies, with the results being shared through community
workshops.
