In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia

Native Hawaiians are at a high risk for dementia, with Alzheimer's disease being the sixth leading cause of death for Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders at age 65+. Many Native Hawaiian elders reside with families, including youth, in multigenerational housing for cultural, economic, and heal...

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Main Authors: J. Kepo'o Keli'ipa'akaua, Shelley Muneoka, Kapali Jeffrey Lyon, Kathryn L. Braun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:SSM - Mental Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000817
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author J. Kepo'o Keli'ipa'akaua
Shelley Muneoka
Kapali Jeffrey Lyon
Kathryn L. Braun
author_facet J. Kepo'o Keli'ipa'akaua
Shelley Muneoka
Kapali Jeffrey Lyon
Kathryn L. Braun
author_sort J. Kepo'o Keli'ipa'akaua
collection DOAJ
description Native Hawaiians are at a high risk for dementia, with Alzheimer's disease being the sixth leading cause of death for Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders at age 65+. Many Native Hawaiian elders reside with families, including youth, in multigenerational housing for cultural, economic, and health status reasons, and as such Native Hawaiian families often provide the majority of care to loved ones with dementia. However, few educational materials are available for Native Hawaiian youth, and existing materials are in the English language and are not specific to the Hawaiʻi context. This paper focuses on the translation of a storybook for Native Hawaiian youth who may be encountering dementia in their families, titled Pōmai and her Papa, into ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). Some specific challenges in conducting this translation are discussed, and lessons are shared that may aid others endeavoring to translate health communications into their own Indigenous language.
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spelling doaj-art-bc3f4855c7ca490fb350005cc65b26f42025-08-20T02:10:28ZengElsevierSSM - Mental Health2666-56032025-12-01810046910.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100469In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementiaJ. Kepo'o Keli'ipa'akaua0Shelley Muneoka1Kapali Jeffrey Lyon2Kathryn L. Braun3Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Gartley 201, 2440 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USAHā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Gartley 201, 2440 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USADepartment of Religions and Ancient Civilizations, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Sakamaki Hall A-315, 2530 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USAHā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Gartley 201, 2440 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA; Corresponding author. Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Gartley 201, 2440 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA.Native Hawaiians are at a high risk for dementia, with Alzheimer's disease being the sixth leading cause of death for Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders at age 65+. Many Native Hawaiian elders reside with families, including youth, in multigenerational housing for cultural, economic, and health status reasons, and as such Native Hawaiian families often provide the majority of care to loved ones with dementia. However, few educational materials are available for Native Hawaiian youth, and existing materials are in the English language and are not specific to the Hawaiʻi context. This paper focuses on the translation of a storybook for Native Hawaiian youth who may be encountering dementia in their families, titled Pōmai and her Papa, into ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). Some specific challenges in conducting this translation are discussed, and lessons are shared that may aid others endeavoring to translate health communications into their own Indigenous language.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000817TranslationIndigenous languageʻŌlelo HawaiʻiDementiaAlzheimer's diseaseHealth communication
spellingShingle J. Kepo'o Keli'ipa'akaua
Shelley Muneoka
Kapali Jeffrey Lyon
Kathryn L. Braun
In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia
SSM - Mental Health
Translation
Indigenous language
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
Dementia
Alzheimer's disease
Health communication
title In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia
title_full In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia
title_fullStr In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia
title_full_unstemmed In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia
title_short In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia
title_sort in our own voices and words creating english and hawaiian language storybooks on dementia
topic Translation
Indigenous language
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
Dementia
Alzheimer's disease
Health communication
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000817
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