Discussing the topic of diversity as related to the care for the older population has become increasingly important for nurses who want to broaden their cultural competence. There will be multiple instances in practice when the knowledge of cultural practices, customs, and values would improve the relationship between patients and their care providers. For example, in Chinese culture, not looking someone in the eye is a sign of respect for another person, while eye contact signifies sincerity and openness in Western cultures (Akechi et al., 2013). Thus, when dealing with older patients of Chinese descent, nurses should consider such a cultural peculiarity.
It is important to understand that diversity is everywhere, and it will be broadening with each decade. When working at a company that provided low-income housing for the elderly, most residents were not of white descent. This points to a significant problem of limited financial resources among the older diverse population, contributing to the decreased quality of life and access to care. The topic of diversity should be better explored in nursing education because of the need to ensure that all patients, regardless of their background, receive the quality of care that they need and deserve (Phillips, Villalobos, Crawbuck, & Pratt-Chapman, 2018). Besides, the attention of local, state, and federal authorities is necessary for shedding light on the problems that diverse older patients face when maintaining their health and well-being. Therefore, nurses need to be culturally competent and educated in diversity to be effective in interactions with their patients.
References
Akechi, H., Senju, A., Uibo, H., Kikuchi, Y., Hasegawa, T., & Hietanen, J. K. (2013). Attention to eye contact in the West and East: Autonomic responses and evaluative ratings. PloS One, 8(3), e59312.
Phillips, S., Villalobos, A., Crawbuck, G., & Pratt-Chapman, M. (2018). In their own words: Patient navigator roles in culturally sensitive cancer care. Supportive Care in Cancer, 27(5), 1655-1662.