Oral

As the population of elderly citizens in the U.S. expands, paralleled by an increase in the prevalence of dementia, the role of respite care within the healthcare system will increase in importance and demand. The studies in this session address the issues of dementia care from the following perspectives: a qualitative pilot study investigated how participation in a support group promotes the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing of these caregivers; a study examined 2,386 never-smoking women aged ≥ 65 years in China, and to characterize the passive smoking exposure and diagnosed dementia using the 10/66 algorithm; a pilot study aimed at comparing the cost and effectiveness of face-to-face and telephone-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions on depression and health status among a group of African-American dementia caregivers in Northeast Florida; as well as a study to examine the issue of underdiagnosis for Asian AD patients by looking at their hospitalization and mortality rates, and to compare the hospitalization and mortality rates of Asians with AD to the rates of other races.

Session Objectives: 1. Explain the effects of support group participation on the multi-dimensional wellbeing of the family caregivers of dementia patients. 2. Evaluate level of passive smoking in older women in China. 3. Identify the effect of CBT on total health care expenditures among African American dementia caregivers. 4. Explain existing race disparities in Alzheimer’s disease in terms of prevalence, mortality, and diagnosis. 5. Describe unique barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease for Asian older adults.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)