The Experiences and Challenges of Informal Caregivers: *

描述(由申请人提供)：尽管随着人口老龄化，对非正式(无偿)照料的需求不断增加，但少数族裔，特别是亚洲人的照料问题得到的关注很少。这项研究的主要目的是描述韩裔美国人的照看经历，韩裔美国人是美国增长最快的亚裔群体之一。使用焦点小组方法，我们建议进行一个试点项目，以评估受访者所描述的影响他们在参与者自己的语言和上下文中照顾年长家庭成员或朋友的文化方面，而不是受限制的类别。 我们的具体目标是：(1)描述和定义韩裔美国人非正式照顾者照料的文化含义；(2)评估文化适应如何影响韩裔美国移民照顾者对照顾的看法和非正式照顾者的结构；(3)确定韩裔美国人非正式照顾者的角色和活动；(4)评估压力来源和评估韩裔美国人照顾者应对照看困难所使用的策略；以及(5)描述韩裔美国照顾者已经使用的服务，并评估对各种服务类型的需求(例如，家访、教育、支持团体等)。 参与者将被分为四个照顾者类别：(1)成年子女、(2)配偶、(3)儿媳和(4)非亲属。每个焦点小组将由同一照料类别的六名成员组成。他们将会面两次，时间约为两个小时。 这项试点调查将使我们能够开发调查工具，以检查健康结果及其相关性，并评估韩裔美国照顾者的卫生服务需求。这一阶段将导致下一个合乎逻辑的干预步骤，旨在支持韩国非正式护理人员并促进他们的健康成果，重点放在他们的健康促进活动、慢性病管理战略和可用资源的使用上。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite the escalating need for informal (unpaid) caregiving with an aging population, minimal attention has been given to the issue of caregiving in ethnic minorities, especially in Asians. The primary objective of this study is to describe caregiving experiences of Korean Americans, one of the fastest growing Asian subpopulations in America. Using a focus group approach, we propose to conduct a pilot project to assess what respondents describe as aspects of their culture that influence their caregiving to older family members or friends in the participants' own words and context without having constrained categories. Our specific aims are to: (1) describe and define the cultural meanings of caregiving by Korean American informal caregivers; (2) evaluate how acculturation affects perceptions about caregiving and the structure of informal care among Korean American immigrant caregivers; (3) identify the role and activities performed by Korean American informal caregivers; (4) assess sources of strain and evaluate strategies that Korean American caregivers use to cope with the difficulties of caregiving; and (5) describe services that have been utilized by Korean American caregivers and assess the need for various types of services (e.g., home visit, education, support groups, etc.). The participants will be divided into four caregiver categories: (1) adult children, (2) spouses, (3) daughters-in-law, and (4) non-relatives. Each focus group will consist of six members of the same caregiving category. They will meet twice for about two hours. This pilot investigation will allow us to develop survey instruments to examine health outcomes and their correlates and to assess the health service needs of Korean American caregivers. This phase will then lead to the next logical step of intervention, which will be designed to support Korean informal caregivers and promote their health outcomes, focusing upon their health promotion activities, chronic illness management strategies, and use of available resources.