Community Research Workshop - CRWIII
Friday, February 17, 2012
Korean American Community Services
 In
2050
1.
The U.S. population will be older than it is now.
2.
The U.S. population is becoming more diverse by
race.
 By
2050, minorities will be the majority in
America (CNN News, August 13, 2008)
 Life
Expectancy 76.0 years in 1993 will be
82.6 years in 2050
 75
years or older 6% in 2005 will be 11.6% in
2050
 85
years or older 2 million in 2005 will be 5.1
million in 2050

Approximately 70,000 Korean Americans live in the Chicago
metropolitan area.

The majority of Korean Americans, or 72%, are foreign-born, and
of those, a third are recent immigrants.

Korean immigrants have one of the lowest rates of Englishspeaking ability: 67% say they do not speak English very well and
40% live in a linguistically isolated household (one in which no
adult speaks English well).

Korean Americans living in Chicago face severe economic
hardships: 29% have incomes below the poverty level, including
21% of children, 24% of adults, and 64% of seniors.

According to census data, seniors aged 65 and over accounted for
12.2% of the total Korean American population in 2000, compared
to 6.8% in 1990 and 3.9% in 1980.
 Demographic


Fourth largest sub-group among Asian Americans
One of the fastest growing populations in the US
 Cultural



Reason
Reason
KA immigrants hold common misconceptions and
negative feelings about AD.
Cultural beliefs attributing dementia to personal
failure can lead to shame, which prevents
disclosure of condition as well as help seeking
behavior.
KAs rely more on informal/familial support than
WAs, but immigrants are often hindered in using
this resource
(Janevic, Mary R., & Connell, Cathleen, Racial. (2001). Ethnic, and Cultural Differences in the
Dementia Caregiving Experience: Recent Findings. The Gerontologist. Vol. 41, No. 3:334-347)
 As
the prevalence of AD is directly correlated
with age, the community at large needs to
prepare for the implications of the current
demographic trend among KA seniors living in
Chicago.
 There
is a dearth of research and general
information regarding effective, culturally
appropriate interventions targeting this
ethnic community.
Korean American
Community Services
Cognitive Neurology and
Alzheimer’s Disease Center
1. A 40-year history of responding 1. A comprehensive knowledge of
to the acute needs for Korean
dementia related diseases.
Americans in Chicago.
2. One of 29 AD centers
designated by the National
2. A long standing reputation for
Institute on Aging.
providing culturally and
3. Conducts basic, clinical and
linguistically competent
behavioral research, provides
services.
treatment and care for
patients and families and
trains scientists and health
care providers who are new to
AD research.
1. Prior experience in CBPR in the past.
2. Experience working in collaboration with other partner agencies.
3. Clinical social work experience, including working with older adults
and their families.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Establish a strong working relationship and
infrastructure.
Involve stakeholders in exploring the
attitudes about AD and barriers to seeking
help among KA community.
Build our collective capacity by holding
educational workshops.
Develop culturally appropriate research
tools for future use in implementation.
Monthly meetings
Memorandum of
Understanding
Illinois Dementia Care
Educational program on
11/11/2011
Workshop with stake holders on
10/12/2011
 KACS
providing
presentation at
CNADC @
Northwestern
University
Feinberg School of
Medicine on
1/26/2012
 As
a result of this groundwork, we will be
prepared to implement the proposed
research, ultimately utilizing our findings to
design effective programming to serve the
growing population of Korean American
seniors.
 Takes
a long time
to move on to the
implementation of
the program
 Time and energy
consuming
 Lack of
opportunities to
connect with
academic partners
 Great
learning
opportunities to
build capacities
 Build collaborative
relationship with
partners
 Potential to find
great funding
opportunities for
the program
Listen carefully what the community has to say
before you bring your own agenda.
 Remember that we are learning from each other.
 Treat the community workers as experts.
 Show your commitment to help look for
resources for the community after the research
is finished.
 Stay connected even when you are not working
on the project.
(For example:
- be on the list to receive e-newsletter.
- participate in their annual fundraising dinner.)
