Simona Kwon, MPH¹, Victoria H. Raveis, PhD², Timothy Peng, PhD³, Nadia Islam¹, and Ruby Senie, PhD¹. (1) AANCART, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th St., 7th Fl., Room 732, Dept. of Epidemiology, New York City, NY 10032, 212-305-9079, sck32@columbia.edu, (2) Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, Center for Psychosocial Study of Health and Illness, 100 Haven Avenue, Suite 6A, New York, NY 10032, (3) Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, 5 Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10001

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population is the fastest-growing minority population in the U.S. From 1990 to 2050, the population of older AAPIs is expected to more than double. AAPIs use long-term care facilities and hospice programs far less than other populations. Relatively few studies have investigated the factors impacting the health care preferences and service utilization of the AAPI population—even less attention has been focused on acceptance and use of hospice services. Preliminary focus group findings from the relatives of deceased Chinese and Korean clients who were enrolled in the Visiting Nurse Service of New York’s Asian Home Health Care Program will be presented. The following themes will be assessed in the focus groups: 1. the family’s decision making process to enroll their terminally ill relative in a home health program; 2. the family relationships and dynamics in deciding to use a home health care program and to assess cultural and/or structural barriers and attitudes toward formal vs. informal home health care; 3. the family’s satisfaction with the program, including the cultural sensitivity of the program and whether their needs were met; and 4. how the family decided upon the end-of-life care options and what factors impacted their decision about using or not using hospice care.

Learning Objectives: Learning objectives

• describe the end-of-life care decision making process utilized by the study participants;
• articulate the cultural, ethnic and social context within which these beliefs are held; and
• assess how understanding the attitudes and barriers to long-term care will enhance communication between families and formal health care providers.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Home Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.