Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Chapter Seven Culturally Specific Care

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Culture and Ethnicity  Culture  Nonphysical traits we inherit  Ethnicity  Physical inheritance  Transcultural nursing  Caring for the cultural and ethnic aspects of people  Culturally specific care is the basis for holistic care  Older adult population becoming more diverse

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Black Americans  Black racial groups from Africa, Jamaica, Haiti, West Indian Islands, Dominican Republic  22.1% live in poverty  Due to poverty, older adult blacks die earlier than white counterparts  Value wisdom and knowledge of older adults in community

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Black Americans  Body, mind, and spirit interconnected  Many in black community are Muslim  Religious beliefs important to lifestyle, including diet; do not eat pork  Sickle cell anemia exists only in black people  Higher incidence of death from stroke, coronary heart disease, and prostate cancer

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Native Americans  Predominantly live in 26 states, mostly in the western states  Many live on reservations but also in urban areas  560 native American tribes in United States  Each has own culture, folklore, and folk medicine  Importance of Mother Earth and living in harmony with nature

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Native Americans  Illness is a price to pay for current or future bad behavior  Traditional tribes have medicine man or woman usually called a Shaman  One-third live in poverty  High incidence of malnutrition, tuberculosis, high maternal and infant death rates, diabetes mellitus, alcoholism

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Native Americans  Close family bonds, respect for elders  Personal health questions seen as probing and disrespectful

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Asian Americans  12 million Asian Americans in the United States  Asian refers to individuals with origins in Far East Asia, Southeast Asia, and India  Highest median income of any foreign born group  Respect wisdom of older people  Address older person with his or her formal name using Mr. or Mrs.

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Asian Americans  Never give a command to an older Asian adult; seen as insult  Older adults taken care of at home by family  May use herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, cupping, spirituality

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition European Americans  Generally have white skin  Each European country its own cultural beliefs  European countries have national health care plans that provide socialized medicine

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Hispanic Americans  Second largest minority group in the United States  Immigrants for Mexico, South and Central America, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Spain  Live in large multi-generational family households  More likely to be unemployed compared to non- Hispanic whites

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Hispanic Americans  More likely than non-Hispanic whites to live in poverty  Traditional Hispanics believe that good health is good luck  Illness seen as punishment for wrongdoings  Use amulets, herbs, and spices  Assume responsibility of caring for their elderly

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Hispanic Americans  Due to increase in poverty, more susceptible to malnutrition, tuberculosis, and homicide  Time is a relative event  Older Hispanics slow to come into the health care system  Treat “hot” diseases with “cold” remedies

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Jewish Americans  50% of all Jews in the world live in the United States  80% of Jewish Americans have a college education  Traditional Jews recognize two aspects of health—spirit and body  Maintaining good health is an expectation  Modern medicine is encouraged

Caring for Older Adults Holistically, 4th Edition Jewish Americans  Traditional Jews eat a kosher diet  Avoid mixing meat and dairy products  Cannot eat shellfish and pork