Cultural adaptation of World Health Organization iSupport for Dementia program for Chinese-Australian caregivers

Abstract

Background Home-based dementia care is common in the Chinese-Australian community. However, dementia education programs for Chinese-Australians in the language of their choice are scarce. The World Health Organization has developed iSupport for Dementia, an online education program for informal caregivers. Cultural adaptation of the program for Chinese-Australian caregivers is an opportunity to address this gap in caregiver support. Aim The aims of the study were (1) to understand stakeholders’ perspectives on the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of the Chinese iSupport for Dementia content and design and (2) to explore factors affecting the future implementation of the Chinese iSupport program in Australia. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was applied to address the aims of the study. Focus group discussions with Chinese-Australian caregivers and community aged care workers were conducted to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Results In total, six focus groups were conducted with 18 Chinese-Australian caregivers and 17 care workers. Six themes were identified and described as follows: (1) appropriateness of the Chinese iSupport content; (2) acceptability of the online Chinese iSupport design; (3) motivations to engage in the iSupport program; (4) desire to interact with peers and professional facilitators; (5) concerns about program accessibility; and (6) the need to extend the iSupport program to care workers. Conclusions Engagement with Chinese-Australian caregivers and care workers will inform further revisions of the Chinese iSupport program contents to ensure the program is culturally congruent to Chinese-Australian caregivers. Factors affecting the implementation of the program identified in the study will be considered in the intervention phase of the program.

Adapting the World Health Organization iSupport Dementia program to the Indonesian socio-cultural context

“…Meanwhile, Xio et al's study on the Chinese community in Australia shows that in the process of cultural adaptation, not only looking at the suitability of culture, content and language through thematic analysis. This study also emphasizes the exploration of the implementation of the Chinese community iSupport program in Australia ( 26 ). In line with a study from Xiao et al in China, the involvement of family and professional caregivers in the process of cultural adaptation and Translation would inform further revisions of the content of the iSupport program to ensure that the program is compatible with Indonesian culture.…”

“…Therefore, the iSupport for dementia program developed by WHO is one of the guidelines that can be used today. Various cultural adaptations and translations of the WHO iSupport in several countries, such as China, Greece, Australia, and Brazil, have been carried out ( 26 – 29 ). To our knowledge, this is the first study in Indonesia to translate and culturally adapt WHO iSupport for dementia.…”

“…In line with a study from Xiao et al in China, the involvement of family and professional caregivers in the process of cultural adaptation and Translation would inform further revisions of the content of the iSupport program to ensure that the program is compatible with Indonesian culture. Factors affecting program implementation that were identified in the study will also be considered in the program intervention phase ( 26 ).…”

The saga of struggling diversity in the 21st century: a qualitative study

“…In addition, there is a great deal of language and cultural variety inside the boundaries of the Asian area, which creates particular difficulties for international businesses (Xiao et al , 2022). Respect for local traditions and customs must balance the need to implement broad diversity and inclusion efforts, which may be a delicate balancing act.…”

A nurse‐led multicentre randomized controlled trial on effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of Chinese iSupport for dementia program: A study protocol

“…Phase one was a qualitative study in each study site to engage stakeholders to tailor the translated Chinese iSupport manual to the local sociocultural context. Findings from this phase are reported elsewhere (Xiao et al, 2021). Phase one informed development of site-specific version(s) as elaborated in the discussion section of this paper.…”