2024 Alzheimer's Association Research Grant to Promote Diversity (AARG-D)
Culturally-tailored Stress Reduction Program for Korean ADRD Caregivers
How can we reduce stress of Korean American caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias?
Hyejin Kim, Ph.D., RN
Rush University
Chicago, IL - United States
Background
According to the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report, the number of Asian Americans who will be at risk for Alzheimer’s will double by 2040. Research suggests that Asian American family member caregivers have the highest levels of stress and difficulty in caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) of any ethnic or racial group. Korean Americans are the fifth largest group of Asian Americans, however Korean Americans are underrepresented in research about family caregiving for ADRD.
In preliminary research, Dr. Hyejin Kim found that for Korean American caregivers, significant contributors of stress were navigating culturally tailored ADRD services, as well as identifying Korean-speaking experts and staff.
Previous research has shown that Vietnamese and Chinese caregivers reported a significant decrease in stress or depression levels after completing a program called iCare—online training that teaches caregivers of people with ADRD coping strategies, communication skills, and problem-solving techniques. Dr. Kim plans to adapt iCare for Korean American ADRD caregivers.
Research Plan
Dr. Kim and colleagues will modify, culturally adapt, and refine iCare to tailor the program for Korean American ADRD caregivers, which they will call K-iCare. The researchers will then conduct focus groups to get feedback from Korean American ADRD caregivers and social workers who serve the Korean American senior community and further adapt K-iCare based on the suggestions.
Additionally, the researchers will conduct a randomized trial of 72 Korean American ADRD caregivers—half will receive K-iCare and half will receive educational resources from a website. To determine the impacts of K-iCare or the educational resources, they will measure stress, depression, anxiety, and ADRD knowledge of the Korean American ADRD caregivers before they receive the materials and within one week after the last program session.
Impact
This project, if successful, will result in a culturally appropriate, scalable, evidence-based online intervention to reach Korean Americans caring for family members with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Such an intervention may improve outcomes in Korean American caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s.