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Dementia
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Making Sense of Alzheimer’s Disease in an Intergenerational Context

The case of a Japanese Canadian nisei (Secondgeneration)-headed family

André P. Smith

University of British Columbia, Canadaasmith{at}interchange.ubc.ca

Karen M. Kobayashi

University of British Columbia, Canadakkobayas{at}interchange.ubc.ca

An appraisal of cultural values and life history events is necessary to fully understand the ways in which family members interpret the significance of cognitive symptoms and make decisions about accessing clinical services for a relative in the early to moderate stages of dementia. This article presents a case study of a nisei (secondgeneration)-headed Japanese Canadian family in which the father was referred for clinical evaluation at a dementia clinic and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This case study identifies the traditional issei (first-generation) Japanese Canadian values of filial obligation and shame and awareness of the father’s life history as salient mediators in family members’ interpretations of dementia symptoms. Furthermore, a discussion of the role of the clinical evaluation in arbitrating between divergent interpretations of the nature of the father’s disruptive behavior among family members is included.

Key Words: Alzheimer’s disease • dementia • family • intergenerational relationships • Japanese Canadian

Dementia, Vol. 1, No. 2, 213-225 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/147130120200100207
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