Senior Care: Honoring Diverse Backgrounds

Respectful communication, dietary considerations, and spiritual needs.

Something that does not get enough attention in the world of senior care is how we deal with diverse backgrounds and communication. Providers are often thought of as just thought of as someone in the background who looks over vitals, provides medications on time, and brings food or beddings to patients. That would be the tip of the iceberg in senior care. So much more goes into the care of the people we love.

With the ever-evolving world and the diverse cultures we now have surrounding us, senior care providers are finding the need for articles like this one to give them a leg up in senior care.

Respectful Communication is Key

When a loved one is ready for senior care, it can be confusing for the whole family. Some siblings might not be comfortable with the idea of letting a stranger care for their loved ones. This can often lead to fighting among those siblings, some showing anger or resentment toward others. Or even depression with not being able to take on a loved one’s care.

Providers can help in these situations by providing an ear and openness to the family. Giving them comfort by showing them you will make sure their loved ones will be in good hands. Here are some great questions to ask that can often show you are willing to go the extra mile:

Are there any foods or snacks they love?
Do they enjoy a certain movie or TV show? 

Do they like sports? If so, what team?
Do they enjoy music? What is their favorite type?

Are they Morning lovers? 

Questions like this show the family their loved ones are in good hands, and this will put them at ease. Remember, you are often not just a senior care worker but a family care worker.

Dietary needs

Kosher Diet: A set of Jewish dietary laws. Food that is permissible under Kashut

Islamic Diet: Muslims follow a diet consisting solely of food that is halal  – permissible in Islam

Buddhist Diet: A large number of Buddhists follow a vegetarian diet

Religious restrictions and healthcare

Catholic Patients

May request sacraments or, if able to attend, a religious service. You may even have a Catholic priest on staff or one who can make visits to help ease the patient’s mind. Holy Communion is something you may need to talk to the priest. Possibly arrangements can be made for a small service in the day room.

Jehovah’s Witness 

One of the most defining tenets is that Jehovah’s Witnesses are prohibited from receiving blood. This is something in an emergency, you must be very mindful of. Also, they do not celebrate birthdays or many other Christian holidays.

Jewish Patients

Jewish holidays are usually highly significant for patients, especially Passover in the spring and Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur in the fall. It is common for Jewish patients to wear a yarmulke or kippah (skull cap), especially for prayer, but some people may wish to keep them on at all times

Muslim Patients

Muslim patients may express strong, religiously/culturally-based concerns about modesty, especially regarding treatment by someone of the opposite sex. The act of washing is generally conceived as requiring running water, either from a tap or (poured) from a pitcher. As a result, Muslim patients typically do not feel truly cleaned by a sponge bath. Also, it is generally important that Muslims wash–with running water–both before and after meals, and also before prayers.

This article is just really the beginning, as I have mentioned earlier. With such diverse cultures from around the world coming closer and closer to each other, we simply need to be understanding and do our research on how we can provide patients with the best care possible. Our team will continue to push out more articles on this great subject to help you along the way.