Social Work in Public Health
Volume 31, Issue 7, 2016, Pages 665-677

Negotiation, Mediation and Communication between Cultures: End-of-Life Care for South Asian Immigrants in Canada from the Perspective of Family Caregivers (Article)

Weerasinghe S.* , Maddalena V.
  • a Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Centre for Clinical Research, Halifax, NS, Canada
  • b Faculty of Medicine, Division of Community Health and Humanities, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada

Abstract

In the present study, we explored family caregivers' experiences in providing end-of-life care for terminally ill South Asian immigrants. We employed qualitative methods and. in-depth interviews were conducted with seven family caregivers living in Nova Scotia, Canada. Interview data were validated, coded and organized for themes. Three major themes identified in the data illustrated (a) how South Asian caregivers experienced clashes between biomedical and ethno-cultural realms of care that led to cultural insensitivity, (b) how family members acted as mediators, and (c) how communication issues that challenged cultural sensitivity were handled. Findings provide directions for culturally sensitive end-of-life care planning. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

Cultural sensitivity South Asian immigrants Cultural beliefs family caregivers end-of-life care

Index Keywords

cultural anthropology immigrant questionnaire survey mediator Caregivers Communication interpersonal communication human Negotiating Asia terminally ill patient Cultural Competency ethnology cultural competence cultural change family study interview cultural sensitivity South Asia migrant family Humans male Canada Emigrants and Immigrants female Terminal Care qualitative analysis health care caregiver communication network ethnicity Nova Scotia Culture

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84976578093&doi=10.1080%2f19371918.2015.1137521&partnerID=40&md5=66fd14bb18678b0a2d47e86db8fd5b1d

DOI: 10.1080/19371918.2015.1137521
ISSN: 19371918
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English