The subjective experience of Alzheimer's disease: A sociocultural perspective

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Although the North American population is multicultural, little is known of sociocultural variations in the subjective experience of Alzheimer's disease. In Canada, data on important health indicators from sociocultural minority groups are not readily available. The reasons for unavailability include problems with defining and measuring ethnicity - in particular, concern that the sociocultural background of a person is private information, linked to concerns about potential violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights. The current commitment to reducing inequalities in health is starting to stimulate more interest in research on health-related sociocultural issues. This focus on links between sociopsychological factors and health suggests that members of sociocultural minority groups, and especially seniors, may be neurologically vulnerable to the stresses associated with older age, particularly when compounded by stressesfrom immigration and from aging in an acquired culture. Cross-cultural psychiatry distinguishes between disease as malfunctioning biologic and psychophysiologic process in the individuals, and illness as a subjective experience of being ill. Consequently, Alzheimer's disease will appear universally across cultures, but may vary in the realm of subjective experience. A strategy for building support groups for family caregivers from the targetedpopulation is presented as one example of effective intervention. The urgent needfor research to inform professional caregivers about sociocultural variations in the subjective experience of Alzheimer's disease is noted. In order to provide responsible and supportive care for patients and their caregivers in sociocultural minority groups, there is the urgent need for research to inform professional caregivers about sociocultural variations in the subjective experience of Alzheimer's disease.