Data show that Asian Pacific Islanders (API) are the fastest-growing population in Los Angeles County.1 API older adults in Los Angeles represent over 18% of the API population and have the greatest life expectancy (85.9 years)2 of all the major racial/ethnic groups in the County. There is a growing need to provide in-home caregiving for APIs as they grow older. In addition, API older adult households have the highest rate of linguistic isolation in the U.S.3 Older APIs need more culturally and linguistically appropriate care—ideally provided by API caregivers.
Research indicates that API formal and informal caregivers are less likely to use support services to help provide caregiving due to cultural and linguistic barriers.4 API caregivers are also more likely to develop depression and anxiety-related disorders than other racial/ethnic groups and experience a high degree of stress, which can hamper their efforts to provide quality care.5 By providing caregiving education and training, we can help to support API caregivers and reduce their sense of isolation, while improving the quality of care provided to API older adults.
Currently there are few culturally appropriate caregiver training programs for API caregivers. This program aims to work with community service providers and caregivers to develop a train-the-trainer program to improve caregivers’ competence and improve their well-being.
1 The 2015 Los Angeles Healthy Aging Report. (2015). Los Angeles, California: USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging.
2 Ibid.
3 U.S. Census Bureau, 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Public Use Microdata Sample.
4 Ethnic Differences in Stressors, Resources, and Psychological Outcomes of Family Caregiving: A Meta-Analysis. (2005). The Gerontologist.
5 Effectiveness of a psychoeducational skill training DVD program to reduce stress in Chinese American dementia caregivers: Results of a preliminary study (2010). Aging & Mental Health.