Cultural Perspectives

There are many cultural perspectives that you may need to consider in relation to dementia when dealing with different ethnic groups.  In this case study, a gentleman from China is used as an illustrative case.  However, similar scenarios can easily be applied to people from other ethnic and cultural groups.

Some issues that you may need to consider include:

In some parts of the community, dementia is stigmatised as a form of mental illness. Alternatively, as in Dr Zheng’s case, forgetfulness and memory loss are attributed to be a normal part of ageing.

Dementia is often not openly discussed in the some cultures, raising concerns about access to support services and social isolation.

Many ethnic communities place high value on older people. Children are generally expected to care for their parents as they grow older. 

For further information on cultural perspectives on dementia, see;

Perceptions of dementia in ethnic communities. Alzheimer’s Australia 2008