The nursing assistants' communication style and the behavioral symptoms of dementia in Korean-American nursing home residents

Haesook Kim; Diana Lynn Woods; Janet C Mentes; Jennifer L Martin; Ailee Moon; Linda R Phillips

doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2014.02.016

The nursing assistants' communication style and the behavioral symptoms of dementia in Korean-American nursing home residents

Geriatr Nurs. 2014 Mar-Apr;35(2 Suppl):S11-6. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2014.02.016.

Authors

Haesook Kim¹, Diana Lynn Woods², Janet C Mentes³, Jennifer L Martin⁴, Ailee Moon⁵, Linda R Phillips³

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Electronic address: haesookk@gmail.com.
² School of Nursing, Azusa Pacific University, USA.
³ School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
⁴ David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
⁵ Department of Social Welfare, School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

PMID: 24702713
DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2014.02.016

Abstract

Few studies examined the association between communication style and behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSD). The communication style of Nursing Assistants' (NAs), whose ethnic background is different from the residents, may contribute to BSD. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between non-Korean NAs' communication style and BSD in Korean-American (KA) nursing home residents with dementia. Twenty eight NAs and 20 KA residents were recruited from an ethno-specific nursing home. Research assistants observed and recorded NAs' communication style and residents' behavior simultaneously during routine care for 3 days. This study shows a trend that NAs' dementia and culturally appropriate communication style influenced the decreased behavioral symptoms. This finding suggests the need for training for NAs in dementia and culturally appropriate communication.

Keywords: Behavioral symptoms of dementia; Communication style; Korean American older adults.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Asian*
Communication*
Dementia / nursing*
Dementia / psychology
Humans
Nursing Assistants*
Nursing Homes*
Republic of Korea