Table 2.

Cultural issues related to management

ISSUE	EXPLANATION	ACTION
Most of the care of ethnic elderly patients with dementia is given by their families and informal caregivers	Lack of knowledge about dementia assessment centres (geriatric and psychiatry assessment clinics) and formal care services	Promoting awareness and education of specific services is a crucial aspect of health services utilization5
	Awareness of specific services is an important aspect of dementia health services utilization; ethnic caregivers are often less knowledgeable about dementia assessment centres and formal care services for demented patients	Increase public awareness about dementia and mental disorders among ethnic elderly and their family caregivers by providing a forum or group where issues of dementia, caregiving, and diversity (eg, dementia information sessions for caregivers) can be discussed in community-based locations
		Provide culturally sensitive, relevant materials about dementia written in their language
Complementary and alternative medicine	Use of complementary and alternative medications or culturally specific home remedies for memory problems is not uncommon among ethnic elderly	Inform patients that complementary and alternative medicines are not harmless medications and discuss the benefits and risks of these medications (eg, Gingko biloba)
Caregivers’ attitudes	Some ethnic caregivers are reluctant to admit to the stress of caregiving; there are cultural implications to not accepting the caregiver role	In order to provide effective dementia care for ethnic elderly, physicians need to earn the trust of patients and their families7
	Many ethnic caregivers are reluctant to use formal support services, including home care services, respite programs, or day programs	Culturally appropriate dementia care services should be provided by multilingual or bilingual and minority health care workers
	Cultural obligations of these caregivers lead to underutilization of long-term care services among some ethnic groups