International Collaborators
Dr. Marcia Dourado
Federal University of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dr. Gayhun Youn
Chonnam University, Gwangiu, South Korea
International Collaborators
Federal University of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Chonnam University, Gwangiu, South Korea
Research indicates that throughout the world, family caregivers of dementia patients are at increased risk for experiencing emotional distress and negative physical health outcomes associated with the caregiving role. Over the past decade, studies have increasingly focused on the socio-cultural context of caregiving in an effort to disentangle more universal elements of the stress process from those mediated by the beliefs and experiences specific to various cultural groups.
In this project, students taking PSCL 369, “Adult Development and Aging,” compared the caregiving beliefs and experiences of Cleveland-area caregivers with those of Brazilian and South Korean caregivers through videoconferences with international experts.
The videoconferences promoted engagement in the course, as demonstrated by many students’ extensive participation in class discussion. The use of very specific examples when discussing aspects of aging in other parts of the world helped students develop a concrete understanding of cross-cultural caregiving and concepts of aging.
Total funding: $7,400
The grant funded videoconferencing equipment, as well as Professor McCallum’s travel to Brazil and South Korea to meet with his collaborators and make plans for the course. The grant also funded travel from Brazil to Cleveland for Dr. Marcia Dourado to give two lectures to CWRU undergraduates.
