The Effects of a Dementia Education Program for the Aged

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a dementia education program for Korean older adults who resided in community. METHODS: The research adopted the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. A total of 66 older adults completed the study (31 older adults in the experimental group and 35 in the control group). The Experimental group participated in a six-session dementia education program for three weeks. The effects of the dementia education program were evaluated using the measures of knowledge of dementia and attitude toward dementia. Data were analyzed using independent sample t-test with SPSS/WIN 18.0. RESULTS: There was a significant change in the knowledge of dementia in the experimental group (t=2.75, p=.008). Although there was an increase in attitude toward dementia in the experimental group, the change was not statistically significant (t=1.26, p=.212). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the dementia education program is effective in improving the knowledge of dementia among community-dwelling older adults. There is a need to develop more effective dementia education programs designed to improve older adults' attitude toward dementia. Further research is needed using a highly rigorous research methodology.