Perceptions of Dementia, Caregiving, and Help Seeking among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans

The United States is becoming more ethnically diverse, and Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) are one of the most rapidly growing ethnic minority groups. Of interest to social workers is how the traditional values and practices of these cultures affect their perceptions of disease and use of health services. This article presents information on perceptions of dementia, caregiving, and help seeking for the API group as a whole, with additional information on five of the major API subgroups--Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Hawaiian. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.