Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Culture and dementia: Accounts by family caregivers and health professionals for dementia-affected elders in South Korea

  • Published:
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With rapidly growing concerns about the highrates of dementing illness in Korea, this studypresents findings from in-depth qualitativeinterviews with fifteen family caregivers andhealth professionals on: (1) perceptions ofdementia among Korean family caregivers, (2) cultural influences on caregiving, and (3)status of the development and utilization offormal services for the older population withdementia in Korea. Practices of thetraditional familism are demonstrated in themultigenerational family where both materialsupport and respect for the aged are the socialnorm. Thus, providing informal care for ademented parent is expected in the context offulfilling filial responsibilities. Inassessing the current situation in Korea, thereis a lack of social services established by theKorean government for the older individuals,which can be attributed to the norm of parentalcaregiving. This cultural influence posessignificant challenges to Korean caregivers ofdementia-impaired elders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Archbold, P. G. (1982). All-consuming activity: The family as caregiver. Generations7: 12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg, I. K. & Jaya, A. (1993). Different and same: Family therapy with Asian-American families. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy19: 31-38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chee, Y. K., Hinton, W. L. & Levkoff, S. E. (1997). Conceptions of dementing illness: Narratives of caregivers in Korea. Cincinnati: Paper presented at the 50th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America.

  • Chee, Y. K., Dash, K. R., Noguchi, S. & Levkoff, S. E. (1998). Development and implementation of a train-the-trainer curriculum on successful and productive aging. Educational Gerontology24: 509-520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choe, H. (1991). Research on the relations between mothers-and daughters-in-law from social psychological perspectives. Unpublished Dissertation. Seoul(Korea): Chung Ang University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi, S.-J. (1995). Social welfare policy for elderly Koreans. In Choi, S.-J. & Suh, H.-K. (eds), Aging in Korea: Today and tomorrow(pp.121-140). Seoul(Korea): Federation of Korean Gerontological Societies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, B. (1997). Fading away during terminal illness: Implications for bereavement in family members. In K. J. Doka & J. Davidson (eds), Living with grief: When illness is prolonged(pp. 17-32). Washington, DC: Hospice Foundation of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Vos, S. & Lee, Y. (1993). Change in extended family living among elderly people in South Korea. Economic Development and Cultural Change41: 377-393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, D. A. et al. (1989). Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease in a community population of older persons: Higher than previously reported. Journal of American Medical Association262: 2552-2556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, D., Levitt, S. & Zeiss, A. (1989). Interventions with caregivers of frail elderly persons. In M. G. Ory & K. Bond (eds), Aging and health care: Social science and policy perspectives. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gatz, M., Bengston, V. L. & Blum, M. J. (1991). Caregiving families. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (eds), Handbook of the psychology of aging(3rd ed., pp. 405-426). San Digeo: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Z. et al. (2000). The power of labels: Recruiting dementia-affected Chinese-American elders and their caregivers. Journal of Mental Health and Aging6: 103-112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, J. N. (1994). Ethnic and racial issues. In J. F. Gubrium & A. Sankar (eds), Qualitative methods in aging research(pp. 33-50). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S. M. & Keith, P. M. (1992). The status of the aged in Korea: Are the modern more advantaged? The Gerontologist32: 197-202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauh, T.-O. (1997). Intergenerational relations: Older Korean-Americans' experiences. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology12: 245-271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. J. & Choi, H. K. (1993). A study on burden, gratification, and family support of in-home dementia caregiver. Journal of the Korean Gerontological Society13: 63-83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koong, K. N., Lee, H. & Lee, K. (1993). Diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Journal of the Korean Gerontological Society13: 168-177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landrine, H. (1992). Clinical implications of cultural differences: The referential vs indexical self. Clinical Psychology Review12, 401-415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, Y. (1995). Korean and North American Caucasian caregivers of dementia patients: A cross-cultural comparison of caregiver burden. Unpublished Dissertation. Austin, TX: University of Texas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. & Kwon, J. (1993). Study of living conditions and needs of the elderly with dementia and their families. Seoul(Korea): Buk-Bu Welfare Center for the Elderly.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, Y. & Sung, K. T. (1998). Cultural influences on caregiving burden: Cases of Koreans and Americans. International Journal of Aging and Human Development46: 125-141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levkoff, S. E., Cleary, P. D., Wetle, T. & Besdine, R. D. (1988). Illness behavior in the aged: Implications for clinicians. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society36: 622-629.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levkoff, S. E. et al. (1997). A qualitative analysis of dementia explanatory models across four ethnic groups. In K. Iqbal, B. Winbald, T. Nishimura, M. Takeda & H. M. Wisniewski (eds), Alsheimer's disease: Biology, diagnosis, and therapeutics. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, K., Inui, T. S., Kleinman, A. & Womack, W. M. (1982). Sociocultural determinants of the help-seeking behavior of patients with mental illness. Journal of Nervous and Mental DiseaseSeptember/October: 4-7.

  • Luborsky, M. R. (1994). The identification and analysis of themes and patterns. In J. F. Gubrium & A. Sankar (eds), Qualitative methods in aging research(pp. 189-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • McFall, S. & Miller, B. H. (1992). Caregiver burden and nursing home admission of frail elderly persons. Journal of Gerontology47: 73-79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noelker, L. S. & Bass, D. M. (1989). Home care for elderly persons: Linkage between formal and informal caregivers. Journal of Gerontology44: 63-70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palley, H. (1992). Social policy and the elderly in South Korea: Confucianism, modernization, and development. Asian Survey32: 787-801.

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, J., Ko, H. J., Park, Y. N. & Jung, C.-H. (1994). Dementia among the elderly in a rural Korean community. British Journal of Psychiatry164: 796-801.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reece, D., Walz, T. & Ilageboek, H. (1983). Intergenerational care providers of noninstitutionalized frail elderly: Characteristics and consequences. Journal of Gerontological Social Work5: 21-34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shin, S.-J. (1995). Status and role of the elderly in modern Korean society. In S.-J. Choi & H.-K. Suh (eds), Aging in Korea: Today and tomorrow(pp. 37-48). Seoul(Korea): Federation of Korean Gerontological Societies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sung, K. T. (1991). Family-centered informal support networks of Korean elderly: The resistance of cultural traditions. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology6: 431-447.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sung, K. T. (1992). Motivations for parent care: The case of filial children in Korea. International Journal of Aging and Human Development34: 109-124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sung, K. T. (1994). South Korea. In J. I. Kosberg (ed.), International handbook on services for the elderly(pp. 356-372). Westport, CT: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sung, K. T. (1995). Measures and dimensions of filial piety in Korea. The Gerontologist35: 240-247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valle, R. (1994). Cultural-fair behavioral symptom differential assessment and intervention in dementing illness. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders8: 21-45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, H & Cha, H.-B. (1999). Future issues for family care of the elderly in Korea. Hallym International Journal of Aging1: 78-86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Youn, G. & Song, D. (1991). Aging Koreans' perceived conflicts in relationships with their offspring as a function of age, gender, cohabitation status, and marital status. Journal of Social Psychology132: 299-305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Youn, G., Knight, B. G., Jeong, H.-S. & Benton, D. (1999). Differences in familism values and caregiving outcomes among Korean, Korean American, and White American dementia caregivers. Psychology and Aging14: 355-364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, A. J., Pratt, C. C., Shin, H.-Y. & Jones, L. L. (1990). Motives for parental caregiving and relationship quality. Family Relations39: 51-56.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

    Yeon Kyung Chee

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

    Sue E. Levkoff

Authors
  1. Yeon Kyung Chee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sue E. Levkoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chee, Y.K., Levkoff, S.E. Culture and dementia: Accounts by family caregivers and health professionals for dementia-affected elders in South Korea. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 16, 111–125 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010640527713

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010640527713

Search

Navigation