The effects of increasing dementia knowledge on alleviating stigmatizing attitudes among elementary school students in Taiwan

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesBased on the published research that disseminating dementia knowledge reduced stigmatizing attitude toward persons with dementia, this project is going to carry out the research results into dementia care practice through disseminating dementia knowledge to school age children in Taiwan.BackgroundStigma attached to dementia is a common theme across cultures as reported in the literature. Despite retaining cultural adherence to filial piety, which includes respect for the aging, stigmatizing attitudes toward dementia remain a hindrance to timely diagnosis and services utilization in Asian communities (Chiu et al., 2014). Community education about dementia may be helpful to lower this barrier to early detection and intervention (Cheng et al., 2011; Devlin et al., 2007). Most studies focus on the impact of disseminating knowledge to adults. Little is known regarding its effects of increasing dementia knowledge in school age children on combating dementia stigma and mental health issues in aging populations in Asia.MethodsA Quasi‐experimental design will be employed in this study. The third and fourth graders in selected elementary schools in southern Taiwan will be administered a questionnaire eliciting current understanding of dementia prior to a power point introducing dementia, and followed by the repetition of the questionnaire for a pre and post‐ test elicitation and identification of concepts grasped and concepts missed.ResultsThis is an on‐going research project and the results are in process. Implications: Young children often help older family members care for older persons with dementia who are home‐bound; they may be more empathetic if they know more about the condition affecting their relative.