May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month which celebrates the cultures and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. AAPI communities are highly diverse and comprised of approximately 50 ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages. One of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States, the community impacts the numbers of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Asian Americans who are 65 and older account for 8.4% of dementia cases. The number of Los Angeles’s AAPI population living with Alzheimer’s disease will double by 2030.

Respecting your elders is a significant cultural value and profoundly influences the role of caregiving in many Asian cultures. It is an honor and tradition for many Asian families to personally care for their elders. According to an AARP report, 42% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders help care for elderly family members compared to just 22% of the general population. The idea of placing an aging family member in institutional facilities is taboo and often creates a sense of guilt. Additionally, a variety of barriers, including lack of awareness, cultural stigma, and language barriers, prevent the AAPI community from receiving a diagnosis, seeking professional help, or accepting social support. Due to these barriers and cultural beliefs, the family care partners often feel overwhelmed which leads to physical and mental burnout.

Alzheimer’s Los Angeles has addressed these challenges by developing culturally and linguistically appropriate materials, education, and caregiver support. While the barriers may not come down over night, we are committed to helping the Asian community raise awareness and better understand dementia. Connect with us by going to our website alzheimersla.org or calling our helpline: 844-437-7259

Champions of Caregiving
In the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, Alzheimer’s Los Angles is excited to launch a video series highlighting three Chinese and Chinese American families’ caregiving stories. In this series, we see how Michael gains new insight into personal growth when caring for his mother; Eva learns how to better care for herself by asking for support from other family members; Charlotte supports her family caring for her grandfather through a millennial’s lens. The series showcases how families benefit from receiving community and family support. One video will be released each week starting on May 9.

五月是慶祝亞裔美國人和太平洋島民的文化和歷史的亞太裔文化月。多元化的亞太裔大約由50個民族及100多種語言組成。作為美國增長最快的種族群體之一，人口增加的影響反映了在阿茲海默症或其他類型失智症的增長。65歲以上的亞裔美國人占失智症病例的8.4%。到了2030年，洛杉磯阿茲海默症的亞太裔人口數量將預計翻增一倍。

尊敬長輩是重要的亞洲文化價值之一且其深刻地影響著許多家庭照顧者。對於許多亞洲家庭來說，親自照顧長輩是一種榮譽和傳統。根據一份AARP的報告顯示，相較於美國人口中平均只有22% 照顧年長的家庭成員，有高達42% 的亞太裔美國人擔任起照顧者的角色。許多家庭非常忌諱將老年人安置在安養機構中，此想法往往會讓人產生一種內疚感。此外，由於對失智症的不了解和誤解及語言障礙，都可能讓有失智症的亞太裔居民延緩就醫及尋求專業幫助的機會。也正因如此，許多家庭照顧者經常感到不知所措，進而導致身心俱疲。

阿茲海默洛杉磯旨在幫助應對這些可能的挑戰，我們針對文化和語言上提供適當的教育素材及課程，並且為照顧者提供協助。雖然這些挑戰並不會在一夜之間克服，但我們致力於幫助亞太社區認識並進一步了解失智症。更多詳情請參考我們的網站 alzheimersla.org ，或致電我們的幫助熱線：844-437-7259。

憶路上有你
在慶祝亞太裔文化月之際，阿茲海默洛杉磯很榮幸地在此推出一系列的短片。此系列短片總共有三支影片，內容圍繞著三個中國和華裔美國人家庭的照顧心路歷程。在本系列中，我們將看到Michael在照顧母親時對於個人成長有了的新見解；Eva學會了如何透過尋求其他家庭成員的幫助來更好地照顧自己與婆婆；Charlotte通過千禧一代的視角幫助她的家人照顧祖父。該系列展示了失智症家庭如何從尋求社區和其他人的支援中提高照顧品質。我們將於五月九日起每週發佈一則短片。