Introduction The ten leading causes of death among the Hispanic American population are mostly in line with the ten leading causes of death among all Americans. It is more surprising what causes from the American list are missing from the Hispanic American list – stroke, Alzheimer's Disease, and suicide (Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 2009, 2010). Considering that sixty percent of deaths in the United States are attributable to behavioral factors, circumstances in one's social system, and what and who a person is exposed to in their environment (Nash, Reifsnyder, Fabius, & Pracilio, 2011), it is evident that health care providers must investigate these aspects in order to provide quality care. Recognizing the importance of providing culturally appropriate care, I attempted to determine if there were reasons for what I knew about the Hispanic culture and to discover what things I did not know. I performed a transcultural assessment on Elizabeth, a young Hispanic American female, keeping in mind that caring for a Hispanic American patient calls for developing a trusting relationship through awareness and understanding. In the clinical setting this can be accomplished by starting conversations with small talk and remembering that because a Hispanic person seems agreeable to a treatment plan does not necessarily mean they understand or will comply (Giger, 2013). Culture Giger (2013) defines culture as a response in behavior that is shaped over time by values, beliefs, norms and practices shared by members of one's cultural group. A person's culture influences most aspects of his or her life including beliefs, conduct, perceptions, emotions, language, diet, body image, and attitudes about illness and pain (He... ... middle of paper ... ...e health decisions for others in the family because they carry the greatest power in the family, they often accept that this is part of the mother's role of providing a nurturing environment and maintaining the health of the family (Burk, Wieser, & Keegan, 1995). Even many older Hispanics rely on their daughters to help with health issues (Niska, 1999). Elizabeth mentioned that because elders are a high priority in the Hispanic culture, it would be unacceptable to place them in nursing homes. One additional thing to recognize with a Hispanic patient who is terminal is that the entire family will be significantly involved in caring for that dying family member. The women will do most of the actual care; but the men will always be present. Also members of the family's church may be involved either in the care or in simply supporting the family.
With the growing population of minorities in the United States, it is reasonable to believe that at some point in a counselor or therapist career, there will be a session with a Latino/Hispanic client. From a cultural competence perspective, it is imperative that a counselor understands the Latino/Hispanic culture and their worldviews. Counseling Latinos offer to be discussed in the paper is the case of an Alberto and Angela a Mexican American couple married for 27 years. Alberto has recently lost his job. (
The grandmother holds a special place in the family for that reason. Women organize feast days, celebrate rituals and offer prayers. The mother sets up the alter in the home where prayers are offered for the living and the dead. She makes the home a domestic church. Hispanic women are the evangelizers and teachers of values, yet their leadership has often gone unrecognized.
When asked directly about his children, he usually redirected the question for Anna to answer. It is very obvious that she deals with most of the household and child rearing responsibilities. These are very common gender roles in Latino families. Traditionally in the Latino culture, the mother is thought of as the one who takes care of the children and the home while the father is working and protecting his family. Although the brunt of the childrearing seems to be Anna’s job, she is also contributing to the financial earnings. Taking on both roles is much more common in contemporary society. The traditional gender roles of Machismo and Marianismo are becoming less important to the younger generations. “In the United States, Latinas, who typically work outside the home, likewise report less rigid gender roles than may have traditionally been the case”(Cauce & Domenech-Rodriguez 2000, pg.15) . Despite this fact, women are still mostly in charge of the domestic responsibilities. This is the case for Anna and
Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States, and the majority of them are Mexican in origin (Kemp, 2001). The Roman Catholic Church plays a vital role in the culture and daily life of many Mexican Americans. Consequently, healthcare personnel must become culturally competent in dealing with the different beliefs possessed by these individuals. Nurses must have the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver care that is congruent with the patient’s cultural beliefs and practices (Kearney-Nunnery, 2010). The ways that a nurse cares for a Mexican American patient during the process of dying or at the critical time of death is especially important. The purpose of this paper is to examine Mexican Americans’ beliefs concerning terminal illness and death, explain the role of the nurse desired by Mexican Americans, and discuss how the knowledge gained will be incorporated into future nursing practice.
The increase and changing demography in the United State today, with the disparities in the health status of people from different cultural backgrounds has been a challenge for health care professionals to consider cultural diversity as a priority. It is impossible for nurses and other healthcare professionals to learn and understand theses diversity in culture, but using other approaches like an interpreter is very helpful for both nurses and patients. In this paper of a culturally appropriate care planning, I will be discussing on the Hispanic American culture because, I had come across a lot of them in my career as a nurse. The Hispanic are very diverse in terms of communication and communities and include countries like Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, South and Central America, and some of them speak and write English very well, some speaks but can’t write while some can’t communicate in English at all but Spanish.
Social problems include difficulties with family relationships, isolation, interpersonal conflicts, and pressures of social roles. The Latino culture tends to place a higher premium on the well-being of the family unit over that of any one family member, a concept termed familialism (Smith & Montilla, 2006). In general, familialism emphasizes interdependence and connectedness in the family, and often extends familial ties beyond the nuclear family (Falicov, 1998). Given these values, Latinos often describe depression in terms of social withdrawal and isolation (Letamendi, et al., 2013). Social roles also play an important role in mental health, traditional gender roles in particular are strongly enforced and can be a source of distress. In Latino culture, men and women are expected to fulfill the roles outlined in the traditions of Machismo and Marianismo respectively. Machismo indicates that the man is supposed to be strong and authoritative, while Marianismo designates the woman as the heart of the family both morally and emotionally (Dreby, 2006). Although there is little research on causal factors, adherence to these traditional gender roles can pose a psychological burden and has been found to be strong predictor of depression (Nuñez, et al., 2015). The centrality of social problems in the conceptualization of depression for Latinos may be reflective of the collectivistic values that are characteristic of the group. Although these values have the potential to contribute to depression, they also have the potential to serve as protective factors and promote mental health (Holleran & Waller, 2003). Therefore, it is imperative that the counselor carefully consider cultural values, both in terms of potential benefits and drawbacks, to provide appropriate counseling to the Latino
As the Latino population continues to grow the chances of a medical professional providing assistance also rises. According to recent surveys and studies, “A frequent challenge for many Hispanic patients is describing the degree of their pain and discomfort to healthcare providers” (Erickson A., 2006). One of the most important aspects of treating patients is being able to be understood and having the patient comprehend their condition. Anderson et al. (2003) conducted a survey which reported that 39% of Latinos had communication problems with their physician: they felt that their doctor did not listen to everything they had said, they did not understand the doctor and they had questions but did not ask them. Moreover, current trends show common disparities amongst the population. Centers for Disease Control (2015) say Hispanics are more susceptible to suffer from the following: obesity , diabetes , periodontitis , and more likely to have unchecked HIV in
The fathers and husbands of Hispanic families are more likely to stop their children from going to the doctor until the very last minute and are more likely themselves to not do anything until they get so sick they must go to the M., Feinglass, J., & Simon, M. A. (2013). Pregnancy Intention and Use of Contraception Among Hispanic Women in the United States: Data from the National Survey of Family Growth, 2006-2010. Journal Of Women 's Health (15409996), 22(10), 862-870 Mann, J. R., Mannan, J., Quiñones, L. A., Palmer, A. A., & Torres, M. (2010). Religion, Spirituality, Social Support, and Perceived Stress in Pregnant and Postpartum Hispanic Women Mann, J. R., Mannan J., Quiñones, L. A., Palmer, A. A., and Torres, M. Religion, Spirituality, Social Support, and Perceived Stress in.. JOGNN: Journal Of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 39(6), 645-657. Schoulte, J. C. (2011).
According to the textbook, "Racial and Ethnic Groups" (14th edition) by Richard T. Schaefer described how Mexican Americans and other Hispanic groups are restricted from the healthcare system as opposed to other ethnicities. Despite the fact that, all people including illegal immigrants have access to medical treatment under emergency circumstances through federal laws; many Hispanics are cautious in seeking for medical treatment. Approximately, a third don't have health insurance or any other sort of coverage for example Medicaid. Thus, the uninsured aren't likely to have a source of medical care that's considered to be regular, so they anticipate a crisis prior to seeking for care. The healthcare crisis Mexican Americans and other Hispanic groups are facing is in result of the insufficient amount of Hispanic or fluent spanish health professionals.
What is culture? Many people ask themselves this question every day. The more you think about it the more confusing it is. Sometimes you start leaning to a culture and then people tell you you’re wrong
... This may be regarded as a final step of assistance but is important in other to provide quality care to all individuals regardless of ethnicity, race, cultural or educational background. Therefore, as nurses, we have the capabilities to educate Hispanic minority. Education must be given in the language they choose and provide interpreters if needed. In conclusion, everybody needs to be treated with respect and dignity.
Millions of Americans are living with hypertension. Collaboration of patients and providers to control the disease can help prevent life-threatening illnesses. Patient perceptions pertaining to an illness or disease can dictate one’s health behaviors, yet little attention has been directed toward the perceptions of Mexican American adults in relation to hypertension. Although hypertension is most prevalent among African Americans, Hispanics have higher rates of mortality due to poverty, cultural barriers, and customs affecting modifiable risk factors, prevention, and treatment. Without the proper treatment, many hypertensive patients may face devastating complications, including myocardial infarction, kidney failure, and blindness.
There are many factors that play into adolescent substance use in Hispanics, some of which are related, while others are not. For example, in comparison to young adults in Mexico, Mexico-origin adolescents in the United States are at a higher risk of early substance and illicit drug use. Also, U.S. born adolescents with immigrant parents are more at risk compared to foreign-born ones. Because of this, acculturation to the U.S. culture is associated with the stronger likelihood of risky health behaviors. Another reason is that adolescent substance use is more common in the U.S. culture, and because of this, acculturated Hispanics tend to forget about the risks associated with substance use, which leads to them being less able to resist peer pressure.
Blacks die from heart disease faster than any other ethnic group; however the disease is more common for Whites to have despite the fact that Blacks have access to cheap preventions. For instance, being pro active and paying a minimal fee at the gym, checking for blood pressure and cholesterol levels free of charge in a local pharmaceutical department and purchasing over-the-counter-- prescriptions. Research by Singh and Siapush (2001) highlighted the need to study Latino health using as a comparison experience of other racial/ethnic groups. The mortality data discussed that both Latino immigrants have a health advantage over US native born Whites. However, research has suggested that Latino ethnicity and foreign nativity might be protective against psychiatric disorders. In broad racial/ethnic comparisons, "Hispanics “as well as non-Hispanic Blacks were at lower risk for disorders such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia compare to non-Hispanic Whites (Breslau et al., 2006). For some Latino the advantages of healthcare might rooted in their strong social network and culture. It is essential to recognize that there are health
(2) It is often the daughter or daughter in law that will take on the role of caregiver while the rest of the family will pitch in when need be. “Mexican American caregivers who found female caregivers, often wives of the care recipient, felt trapped and overburdened by the care recipient's display of problematic behavior.” (15) Which lead to a stressful time for the elderly in particularly Mexican American elderly. In a study done by Rote, he concluded that female Mexican American elderly tend are more prone to depressive symptoms. (15) Which leads me to my case study which is a personal