Caring Services, Dementia, and Cultural Diversity (2 CE)

Course Level: Intermediate

This course is for: Psychologists, Counselors, Nurses, MFTs and SWs

Course Developed By: Ken Springer, PhD, & Kristin Ceppaluni, LMHC, NCC

Content By:  Sagbakken, M., Ingebretsen, R., & Spilker, R. S. (2020). How to adapt caring services to migration-driven diversity? A qualitative study exploring challenges and possible adjustments in the care of people living with dementia. PLoS One, 15(12).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243803

Course Description: Dementia is a significant and growing public health concern, but few studies have examined how to modify services for people with dementia who come from minority cultural backgrounds. The present study explored the challenges faced by immigrants who live with dementia. Based on interviews and focus groups with older immigrants, relatives of immigrants with dementia, and health care personnel, the authors identified language barriers as well as other obstacles to dementia care for immigrants. The authors concluded that these patients would benefit from holistic services that address sociocultural needs but emphasize an understanding of individual patient biographies. These and other study findings have practical implications for the delivery of culturally congruent dementia care.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the specific challenges faced by individuals with dementia who come from minority cultural backgrounds
2. Identify three difficulties that health care professionals experience when providing dementia care for individuals from minority backgrounds
3. Integrate the strengths and limitations of the study, and summarize the practical implications for the delivery of culturally congruent dementia care

Course Outline:

• Read and understand How to adapt caring services to migration-driven diversity? A qualitative study exploring challenges and possible adjustments in the care of people living with dementia
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Distinguish among the challenges faced by individuals with dementia who come from minority cultural backgrounds
• Analyze the difficulties experienced by health care professionals when providing dementia care to individuals from minority cultural backgrounds
• Integrate the study's key findings, strengths, limitations, and practical implications
• Work through the post-test questions, using the article as the sole basis for your answers
• Revisit the article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the challenges for providing dementia care to individuals from minority cultural backgrounds, and the most suitable adjustments for providing care to these individuals

CA BRN REQUIRED CONTENT

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics i.e., gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals, all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference:

FitzGerald, C., & Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: