Exploring the Usage of Social Media to Increase Awareness of End-of-Life Care for Korean American Communities: A Case Report

Kathy Lee, Jessica Cassidy, Jaci Mitchell, Hye-Won Shin

Abstract


Summary: Korean American older adults often lack understanding of end-of-life care, particularly advance care planning and hospice. Somang Society is a nonprofit organization in the U.S. serving Korean American older adults and their family caregivers to promote healthy aging, dignity in later life, and a meaningful death. We aimed to analyze education and outreach efforts of Somang Society to increase awareness among Korean Americans on the importance of end-of-life care. This case report assesses the metrics and performance analytics of Somang Society’s YouTube channel and videos uploaded from January 1st, 2019 to September 31th, 2021, as well as GIS data regarding their membership.

Findings: Findings of this report indicate that YouTube may be a feasible method to broaden outreach efforts to increase education and awareness on end-of-life care planning in the Korean American community. Particularly, a multi-messaging mobile application helped distribute useful information between Korean Americans. 

Applications: Community-based organizations may leverage social media platforms to increase education and awareness efforts targeting underserved populations, including culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/ijsw.v10i1.20780

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