We need to provide an interdisciplinary, person-centered approach, based on comprehensive assessment of cognitive function and preferences of persons with dementia.
Current Work
Nursing Professor
Personal Hero
My mother
Words of Strength
Caring for people, respecting diversity, working together
Vision
To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, we need to provide an interdisciplinary, person-centered approach, based on comprehensive assessment of cognitive function and preferences of persons with dementia.
Strategy
So Young is planning to design a series of research projects to develop adequate tools for assessing the preferences of older adults with dementia. This can help develop effective person-centered interventions that improve their quality of life.
Impact
As an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, So Young aims to develop new assessment guidelines for nursing home residents in her home country of South Korea that will improve long-term care for persons with dementia and eventually contribute to promoting brain health equity worldwide.
Motivation
The preferences and needs of Korean older adults, especially those with cognitive problems, are not carefully considered due to their frailty and deteriorated functional status, including cognitive impairment.
So Young received her master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and PhD degree from University of California San Francisco. She is an associate professor in the College of Nursing, Inje University in South Korea. Her research interest is advancing the quality of life in older adults with cognitive problems and helping their caregivers who may experience unexpected struggles while caring for them.