While recently visiting a patient in a memory care assisted living, I saw and heard a female resident. She was talking and crying and asking for her madre. The resident was sitting across from the front desk in the lobby. Staff were walking by her and not responding to her obvious sadness and fearfulness. When the staff were queried about why they did not respond, they told me no one knew how to speak Spanish and this resident’s only language was Spanish. In my poor Spanish, I spoke to her about her madre and redirected her. Shortly she was smiling weakly with tears in her eyes.
This brought to mind the issue that I address in my Culture in Healthcare continuing education programs The United States is a multi-ethnic country. Seniors age and have common needs regardless of their ethnicity. As the senior with dementia loses cognitive ability, the basic nature of one’s culture and beliefs becomes more profound. The long standing memories are more important and loss of filters and executive function bring the senior back to bygone days.
The thing that I found especially upsetting was that the facility agreed to admit this resident knowing they could not communicate with her. This necessitated a discharge and relocation which can be anticipated to have exacerbated the confusion and her fearfulness. As healthcare providers, it is for us to take the lead on guiding families. Keeping beds full for revenue production is should not be the primary rationale for an admission. If we cannot care for a senior, we should not admit them. Families and their senior members deserve better than that from us.
Caring for patients of other nationalities can be challenging. Please contact us if you need further information and advice.