Alzheimer's Disease in Asian Americans

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and affects one’s memory, thinking, and behaviour. (“Alzheimer’s Association,” n.d.) Unfortunately, there is no cure to the disease and it affects people across the globe; the number of people with AD, or a related dementia, is close to 44 million. (“Alzheimers.net,” n.d.) However, only 25% of people with AD have been diagnosed. (“Alzheimers.net,” n.d.) There are a number of reasons why people may not have been diagnosed with AD; this is particularly so for East Asians living in North America. East Asians’ cultural understanding and misconceptions of AD creates barriers and prevents individuals from being diagnosed, in North America. The number of people with AD is growing; an expected 8.4 million people over the age of 65 will have the disease by 2030, in the United States alone. (“Alzheimers.net,” n.d.) As the number of people with AD increases, steps must be taken to address the existing barriers to understanding and diagnosing the disease.

AD, and particularly the process of a diagnosis, is a very complex issue within East Asian culture due to an understanding of the disease that is primarily based on traditional knowledge. East Asians’ knowledge of AD is strongly influenced by folk wisdom and cultural belief rather than scientific evidence, preventing a full medical understanding of the disease, which in turn creates a negative stigma around AD. The strong stigma surrounding AD within East Asian culture makes a diagnosis a source of fear and shame, which in turn makes being diagnosed with AD much less likely within these cultural groups. Additionally, East Asians have very strong cultural traditions, especially when it comes to taking care of elders, making them much less likely to utilize formal healthcare systems. These factors in combination pose a great threat to the well being of many East Asians who are living without proper treatment for their disease or are suffering the negative affects...