Time to talk dementia…in Vietnamese
Members of the Vietnamese community living with memory problems or dementia have a special new online tool to help them better understand and manage their condition.
Dr Susan Koch (right) and Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria CEO Maree McCabe (centre) show off the new RDNS Talking Book with a member of the Vietnamese community group.
Called ‘Information on Dementia in Vietnamese’, the talking book is a multi-media tool that can be viewed on a computer or tablet. It is the fifth in a series of talking books that RDNS have produced, but it is the first talking book on dementia.
Funded by the Samuel Nissen Charitable Foundation the talking book helps inform Vietnamese people about memory loss and dementia and to assist them to best manage their condition in a more informed way.
Like any book, the presentation is split into different chapters, each dealing with a specific aspect of dementia. In total, nine important dementia topics are covered. The book uses simple information sheets and easy-to-understand terms that are not technical.
Most importantly, all information is provided in both the Vietnamese and English languages to allow sharing of the information provided between family members for example grandparents, children and their grandchildren.
The development of the talking book involved Vietnamese community members ensuring that the information in the dementia talking book is easy to understand and culturally appropriate.
The book was created in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia Victoria and the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association.
People have the choice of reading the information on screen or listening to it. Listening to the information will especially benefit older Vietnamese who have difficulty reading. The information sheets can be printed out for easy use.
The talking book will be used by RDNS nurses with their Vietnamese clients and their families, although the book is available for anyone to use if they require it.
“At RDNS, we are committed to assisting all people to learn about their health and to better manage their health problems. ‘Information on Dementia in Vietnamese’ is one way through which we can help to improve health literacy of people in the Vietnamese community to do this.” Dr Susan Koch, Principal Research Fellow at the RDNS Institute, said at the launch of the book last week.
Dementia is the second leading cause of death accounting for approximately 6% of all deaths in Australia and, in 2012 the Australian Government recognised the disease as a National Health Priority .
For more information about the talking book visit the RDNS website
