Cultural Adaptation of a Dyadic Intervention for Korean Couples Coping with Alzheimer's Disease

The Couples Life Story Approach (CLSA) was recently developed in the U.S. for older couples dealing with dementia to improve their quality of life. The purpose of this article is to describe how the CLSA was adapted to be culturally appropriate for older Korean couples and to discuss cultural themes that emerged during the implementation process.

The intervention was adapted using the Cultural Adaptation Process Model. The revised materials were implemented on 56 Korean couples. A multiple case study method was used to analyze the clinical data.

Four cultural themes were identified: (1) dealing with negative memories in early years of marriage; (2) communication styles and patterns; (3) ways to incorporate difficult life events into the Life Story Book; and (4) complex dynamics of heirarchy in the relationship between older couples and the interventionist. With each theme, case examples are described that illustrate relevant issues.

Cultural adaptation can be conducted systematically to improve the delivery of the CLSA for different populations.

Cliniocians working with older Korean couples affected by dementia should consider cultural uniqueness in a life-story approach.