Collaborating with Family Partners in Dementia Research with Karen Wong and Lily Wong
I think it’s easier for an older person to relate to an older person.
Lily Wong
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About the Episode
Karen and Lily discuss their experiences collaborating on research projects at the UBC IDEA Lab related to aging and dementia in different settings, such as long-term care and the hospital. One example they raise is the dementia-friendly video project which introduced dementia-friendly videos to older adults with moderate to severe dementia in care settings to support their psychosocial well-being. Another example they raise is the Overcoming Loneliness project. The team interviewed residents in long-term care remotely about their experience of loneliness during COVID-19. They referred to the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and found that residents had challenges answering the questions on the scale. They then came up with an idea to let people, especially healthcare providers, know about the challenges for residents using the scale and to propose recommendations by publishing and presenting at international conferences. Their paper was awarded Publication of the Year 2023 by Health Policy PIA of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) and ImpactBC Scholarship in Health Care Research and Development 2024 by UBC Health, recognizing its implications in practice.
Timestamps
1:10 – Get to Know: Karen Wong
1:53 – Get to Know: Lily Wong
5:45 – What is the Overcoming Loneliness Project?
9:18 – How Different Perspectives Help Support More Accessible Knowledge Mobilization
15:30 – The Importance of Language
16:03 – What is the Dementia-Friendly Videos Project?
18:46 – Using Cultural Adaptation in Research for Culturally Diverse Audiences
23:33 – How Lily Uses Translation and Interpretation to Support the Chinese Aging Community
24:31 – Reflections from Collaborating with Team Members with Lived Experience into Aging and Dementia Research
28:16 – Moving Forward in Future Collaborations: Including People of All Ages
30:53 – Ways to Become Involved with Research
Mentioned in this Episode
Partner: UBC Innovation in Dementia Care and Aging (IDEA) Lab
Project: Overcoming Loneliness
Project: Dementia-Friendly Videos
— Daily Living Video
— Using the Daily Living Video in Long-Term Care
Research Articles
Reference: Wong, K., Smith, C., To-Miles, F., Dunn, S., Gregorio, M., Wong, L., Huynh, P., & Hung, L. (2022). Timely Considerations of Using the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale with Older Adults Living in Long-Term Care Homes: A Critical Reflection. Journal of Long-Term Care, 163-172. https://doi.org/10.31389/jltc.141
Reference: Wong, K. & Hung, L. (2023). Cultural adaptation in television technology for older adults with dementia in care settings. Frontiers in Dementia, 1, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/frdem.2022.1098446
Our Guests
Karen Wong is a PhD candidate and sessional lecturer at UBC School of Social Work. She is a social worker with Providence Healthcare. She conducted research with the Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia and IDEA Lab, UBC and the Science and Technology for Aging Research Institute, SFU.
Lily Wong is a family partner involved in different research projects with the IDEA Lab, UBC, such as dementia-friendly videos and overcoming loneliness in long-term care. She volunteers to support older adults, especially those from the Chinese community. She is also a grandmother.