{"id":9715,"date":"2019-08-25T19:52:14","date_gmt":"2019-08-25T19:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.salushomecare.com\/los-angeles\/?p=9715"},"modified":"2025-05-16T09:13:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T09:13:35","slug":"cultural-competency-in-hospice-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salushomecare.com\/los-angeles\/blog\/cultural-competency-in-hospice-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural Competency in Hospice Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

America\u2019s population is becoming more diverse. As this happens, the need for cultural competence in hospice care continues to increase. Especially when hospice care<\/a> is delivered at home, it\u2019s essential for nurses and other members of the hospice care team to recognize important differences in clients, embrace them and create a care environment that is sensitive to the family\u2019s unique needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand what it means to provide culturally competent\ncare, it\u2019s first important to define what a culture is. Most people think of\nthis as a grouping of people with regard to heritage \u2013 such as the Spanish culture\nor the Asian culture. However, culture can mean more than just heritage and it\nincludes things like religion, spirituality or sexual orientation. A person\u2019s\nculture is often deeply intertwined with their values and beliefs, and that is\nwhy cultural competency is so important when providing end of life care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Cultural Competence in Hospice Care <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Next let\u2019s discuss the meaning of the term \u201ccultural competency\u201d. Cultural competence<\/a> is the ability to understand, communicate with and interact with patients in a positive way. Culturally competent caregivers are aware of their own biases. They work to overcome them or at least set them aside in order to improve the care setting. They value the things that make us different. In the hospice setting, a culturally competent nurse will seek out information about the patient\u2019s end of life beliefs, thoughts on dying and views regarding end of life concerns. These things will then be incorporated into the plan of care to help ensure that the patient feels valued and dignified in the final stage in life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural Considerations in End of Life Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why is cultural competency important in end of life care? Culture\nis intertwined with feelings, beliefs and values, it can deeply influence a patient\u2019s\nreaction to their health condition, their decisions about care and their\nbeliefs about dying. Ignoring culture is ignoring who the patient is, at their\ncore, and it often results in the patient feeling less comfortable and less\nengaged in their care experience. Some of the key aspects that culture can influence\ninclude: <\/p>\n\n\n\n