Doorway Thoughts: Cross Cultural Health Care for Older Adults addresses the role of ethnicity in health decision-making in America. This book focuses on how clinicians caring for older adults can develop an understanding of different ethnic groups in order to effectively care for their patients. Chapters in this volume address cross-cultural health care for older adults from the following groups:
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Arab Americans
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Cambodian Americans
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Filipino Americans
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Haitian Americans
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Korean Americans
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Pakistani Americans
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Portuguese Americans
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Russian Americans
The key concepts discussed in this text are “doorway thoughts”—factors that the culturally competent practitioner reflects upon before walking through the doorway of any examining, consultation, or hospital room. These factors can shape intercultural health care encounters and relationships for good or for ill. They may affect relations with individual patients and families and also patients’ willingness or ability to understand, accept, and adhere to prescribed regimens.
This text covers preferred forms of address, nonverbal communications, history of immigration or migration, acculturation, culture-specific health risks, disclosure and consent, tradition and health beliefs, gender issues, approaches to decision-making, and use of advance directives. Case studies illustrate the application of concepts presented in the chapters.