| Popis: |
Japanese Americans comprise approximately 20% of the State of Hawaii’s population and Japanese is the most common language used by first-generation Japanese Americans. As a result, delivering effective care to Hawaiian residents means that providers must deliver services in a culturally sensitive manner. Accomplishing this aim becomes increasingly difficult within elderly populations, when patients are dealing with physical and cognitive limitations as well as cultural and language barriers. This study examined the question: How can Hawaii eldercare professionals improve patient eldercare services to Japanese immigrants, taking into consideration Japanese language and cultural norms? This study utilized a qualitative grounded theory design. One elder daycare facility and one hospice were selected as the setting for the study. From these settings, four participants were recruited from the hospice and three were recruited from the daycare. Participants’ job titles included nurse, massage therapist, grief counselor, daycare director, and activity aide. Participants were asked to provide their demographic information, report on the services they deliver and patient communication practices they utilize, and share their views about quality of care and desired patient outcomes. The interview data were analyzed using open coding and axial coding, culminating in the creation of an integrated theory. Examination of the study data indicated that delivering culturally sensitive eldercare requires efforts to (a) understand patients’ history, beliefs, worries, goals, and diagnosis; (b) educate patients to ease concerns and elicit self-supportive behaviors; and (c) respect and adapt to patients’ characteristics and needs. Recommendations for eldercare professionals are to improve education and training of all eldercare staff, promote Japanese facilities and Japanese eldercare programming, and expand caregiver roles. Additionally, more research is needed to confirm and extend the present study’s findings—specifically using a much larger sample size, including patient and family perspectives, and examining differences among Japanese immigrant subgroups. |
