Premium
O4‐08‐03: VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND THEIR EFFECT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN RURAL CHINA: EVIDENCE FROM THE BASELINE OF CHINA HEALTH AND RETIREMENT LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Author(s) -
Zhu Shanwen,
Li Man,
Zhong Renyao,
Coyte Peter
Publication year - 2019
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.2019.06.4784
Subject(s) - toilet , socioeconomic status , longitudinal study , marital status , gerontology , cognition , china , medicine , environmental health , baseline (sea) , psychology , demography , geography , population , archaeology , pathology , psychiatry , oceanography , sociology , geology
cognitive impairment living alone. Methods: Ethnographic interviews and participant observation were used to elicit priorities and concerns of older Latinos living alone with cognitive impairment. Inclusion criteria included living alone, ability to provide consent, and a medical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or mild cognitive impairment or 24 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Participants were recruited through healthcare and community organizations. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, interview transcripts and fieldnotes were analyzed to identify codes and themes for participants’ priorities and concerns. Results: Fourteen older Latinos (9 with a MoCA score 24, 4 with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, 1 with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease; 9 monolingual Spanish speakers) were interviewed an average of 5 times per person for a total of 72 interviews. With regard to priorities, three themes emerged: 1) Living in the community (e.g., ageing in place, being involved in social activities, working); 2) Privacy, including reluctance to discuss emotional matters, and; 3) Managing language barriers. Concerns included: 1) Conflictual relationships with family members in Latin America and the United States; 2) Difficulty managing affairs (e.g., accessing services, dealing with immigration status), 3) Limited services available in Spanish or English, and; 4) Limited understanding of their cognitive impairment. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for tailored services for Latinos living alone with cognitive impairment. Challenges to access services were compounded by a desire for privacy and limited support from family members, as well as immigration status and language barriers. Future research is needed to identify specific priorities and concerns related to service utilization and race/ethnicity.