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P1‐664: CHORD STUDY: THE POWER OF MUSIC THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN THE GIVING VOICE CHORUS
Author(s) -
Kashyap Bhavani,
Stroebel Benjamin M.,
Pearsall Vesselina M.,
Erickson Lauren O.,
Hanson Leah R.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.06.676
Subject(s) - chorus , mood , depression (economics) , quality of life (healthcare) , longitudinal study , psychology , cognition , medicine , audiology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , art , literature , pathology , economics , psychotherapist , macroeconomics
Background: Health education and intervention messages are more effective when culturally appropriate for the targeted group. While the increase in cases of cognitive decline negatively affects the broader U.S. population, cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia disproportionately affect African Americans. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a randomized national telephone survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administered by state health departments. The goal of BRFSS is to collect prevalence data concerning health-related risk behaviors and the use of preventive health services. Methods:Four focus groups (n1⁄430)were completed with African Americans aged 45 and older living in Oregon. BRFSS cognitive impairment and caregiver surveys were administered, which guided subsequent group discussion. Participants were asked to reflect on experiences with cognitive decline and caregiving, how they make meaning of their experiences, and how they interpret survey terminology, such as “Alzheimer’s disease,” “Memory loss,” “Confusion,” “Dementia,” and “Caregiving.” Discussion transcripts were coded using a content analysis approach. Data was interpreted within the Africana methodology, wherein the researcher is immersed in the research cultural worldview recognizing the interdependence of people and the environment remaining aware of the impact between researcher and research participant. Results:BRFSS survey responses differed from focus group responses to the same questions. One survey response reported past-month care, while in discussion, 8 participants shared past-month activities they considered caregiving. Participants had expansive definitions of caregiving, such as therapeutic dance, and held widely differing interpretations of BRFSS terminology. Participants were unclear about what constituted age-related cognitive changes like memory loss and confusion, and what constituted dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusions: Key terms used in cognitive health messaging are not universally understood. African American interpretations, as understood through their experiences with memory loss, confusion, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and caregiving, can inform culturally responsive messages that more strongly resonate within the African American community, potentially prompting people to take actions towards better health.Understanding these perspectives is critical for improving dementia research especially in areas such as identifying subjective cognitive decline, caregiver intervention studies and treatment trials where efficacy of reported functional capacity is key.