Ethnicity and the Dementias

In recent years, the literature on the topic of ethnic and racial issues in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias has increased dramatically. At the same time, the need for cultural competence in all of geriatric care, including dementia care, is increasingly being acknowledged. Dementia is a large societal problem affecting all communities, regardless of race or ethnicity, and understanding dementia for specific groups is tremendously important for both clinical knowledge and for health planning as a nation.

This third edition of Ethnicity and the Dementias offers invaluable background information in this area, while also examining how those suffering from dementia and their family members respond or adapt to the challenges that follow. Thoroughly updated and revised throughout, the book features contributions from leading clinicians and researchers in the field, with particular attention given to genetic and cultural factors related to dementia, effective prevention and treatment strategies, and issues in caregiving and family support. Chapters offer specific recommendations for dementia care in eleven ethnic/racial groups, as well as suggestions for working effectively with LGBTQ families.

Providing a truly comprehensive resource on ethnicity and dementia, and including reflections on emerging trends and the future of caregiving, this new edition is ideal reading for clinicians, educators, researchers, policy makers, and families, in search of the most current ethnogeriatric findings.

Gwen Yeo, PhD, was Founding Director of the Stanford Geriatric Education Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, where she helped develop the field of ethnogeriatrics. A major focus of her publications has been dementia and ethnicity.

Linda A. Gerdner PhD, RN, FAAN, is a published author and a former ethnogeriatric specialist at the Stanford Geriatric Education Center. She has visited Hmong villages in Laos and authored three books on Hmong Americans.

Dolores Gallagher-Thompson, PhD, is Professor Emerita at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is board-certified in geropsychology, specializing in treatment of late-life depression and anxiety disorders. She works with persons with dementia and family caregivers.