Recent publications have urged researchers to address neuropsychological assessment issues among culturally and linguistically diverse individuals for whom current assessment measures are not typically appropriate. This dissertation examined cultural considerations in clinical neuropsychological practice with Cree-speaking Canadians residing in Saskatchewan. Four inter-related studies focused on understanding cultural perceptions of normal aging and dementia within a Canadian Aboriginal population, modifying existing screening and neuropsychological assessment instruments for use in both normal aging research and clinical practice, and investigating the role of culture in cognitive aging with Cree-speaking. Study 1 involved the qualitative analyses of a series of key informant interviews with an Aboriginal Grandmothers Group. Three related themes were identified that highlighted Aboriginal experiences of aging, caregiving, and dementia within the healthcare system. The third theme, the importance of culturally grounded healthcare, directly informed test development for Studies 2 and 3. In Study 2, two screening measures that were adapted for use with seniors from diverse cultural groups were further modified and examined for use with Canadian Aboriginal seniors. Overall, performance was consistent across the two screening measures, and the measures informed clinical diagnosis and were well-received by both the Aboriginal patients and their family members. Study 3 describes the development of the Grasshoppers and Geese Test battery (G&G), created by modifying and integrating existing instruments and paradigms for language and memory assessment for use with culturally diverse seniors. All G&G subtests demonstrated adequate preliminary psychometric properties and generated excellent sensitivity and good specificity in differentiating healthy older adults from adults with Alzheimers disease. Finally, Study 4 examined performance on the G&G and on other neuropsychological measures in groups of young-middle aged and older adults from majority culture and Cree background. Cree participants mean scores were lower on measures of confrontational naming, semantic memory, verbal fluency, prospective memory, and processing speed, and were presumed to be in keeping with the significantly fewer years of education, lower estimated reading ability, and possible health disparities in the participants of Cree background. Findings of the four studies are discussed in the context of implications for current clinical practice and with regard to future research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-04152011-143435 |
| Date | 26 April 2011 |
| Creators | Lanting, Shawnda |
| Contributors | Morrison, Melanie, Manly, Jennifer, Wishart, Tom, Crossley, Margaret, Morgan, Debra, Waldram, James |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-04152011-143435/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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