Culturally Appropriate Care

A person’s culture often shapes how they see the world. It contributed to their knowledge, preferences, and beliefs. It can affect choices about food, clothing, spirituality, and communication. Providing culturally appropriate care helps clients to live in a meaningful and fulfilling way. It also improves the quality of care and leads to better health outcomes.

To care for clients in a culturally appropriate way, caregivers must understand and respect each client’s unique individuality. Caregivers also need to understand how their own cultures, environments, and identities influence their beliefs and behaviors when caring for a client.

Identity and Individuality

Each person is a unique and worthwhile individual. This uniqueness comes from a lifetime of experiences influenced by such things as:

race and ethnicity
cultural background
religious upbringing and beliefs
gender
sexual orientation
marital status
education
economic status
social groups
physical, mental, or sensory disability.

All these factors intersect to influence:

the social privileges a person enjoys or the discrimination they experience.
how they see the world
what they believe in and value
what they consider acceptable ways to act,
and what they consider normal.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is the idea that cultures and identities overlap. Certain groups of people experience discrimination more than others. This inequality intensifies when a person belongs to a combination of disadvantaged groups. Some people may experience privilege in some areas and disadvantage in other areas. For example, a Black woman may experience like other Black people or other women. Also, she experiences unique combinations of discrimination as a Black woman.

Cultural Self-Reflection

Caregivers bring their own identity and individuality to the caregiving relationship. Before you can honor and respect a client’s identity and culture, you need to be aware of how your own background and life experiences shape your view of the world. Think about the aspects of your individuality below. For each item, consider how it may affect your beliefs, behavior, values, and attitudes.

The figure referenced can be found on page 21 of your textbook.

Getting to Know the Client

Get to know each client as a unique individual. Your effort to learn about and understand them will help build trust and respect. It will also help make the client feel appreciated and accepted. Getting to know a client also tells you what behavior they consider respectful and appropriate. This helps you avoid unintentionally offending a client or other misunderstandings- especially when you first begin working together.

To learn more about your client, ask questions of other care team members, and pay attention to any clues from how they act, dress, relate to others, and/or items of importance displayed in their room or home. You can also ask questions of the client directly. Be aware that a client may have a different view of what types of questions are respectful and appropriate.

How might a client’s culture, life experience, and religious beliefs influence their choices and preferences in care? Consider topics like food, clothing, communication and touch.

Cultural Humility

Providing culturally appropriate care is more than having knowledge about various cultures. In fact, relying on knowledge alone can lead to stereotyping and incorrect assumptions. Work to identify the stereotypes you may hold about groups of people. Question those stereotypes and commit yourself to not using stereotypes to judge other people.

Learning about caring for people from diverse cultures is a life-long process. Always keep an open mind and be willing to listen and learn about clients as individuals. Accept that your knowledge and beliefs are only one way to see the world and that others’ ways may be as valid as yours.