Bias (Part 3)

Bias in Long-Term Care Settings

Explicit and implicit bias can lead to discrimination, bullying, and other mistreatment. Because of this, some clients may hide certain parts of their identity such as their religion, heritage, or sexual orientation from caregivers or other residents. Part of your role as a caregiver is to help make sure each client feels welcomed and safe.

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Reducing Implicit Bias

Since implicit bias is unconscious, it is challenging to identify and reduce it. However, there are some steps you can take to unlearn implicit bias.

1. Discover your own implicit biases by taking implicit association tests.
2. Practice ways to reduce stress and increase mindfulness, such as meditation, yoga, or focused breathing. The more relaxed you are, the less your mind will rely on quick, automatic reactions.
3. Watch yourself for stereotyping. When you hear rhetoric that stereotypes groups or people or catch yourself making assumptions about a person because of their culture, race, etc., try to refocus on the individual and their personal attributes.
4. Challenge and dispute stereotypes. Spend time thinking or imagining people who break the typical stereotypes associated with their groups.
5. See things from their point of view. Imagine yourself being a member of the stereotyped group.
6. Seek opportunities to have meaningful positive interactions with people from other groups. Personal experience with stereotyped groups improves our attitudes and interactions with those groups.