My ignorance - diversity & ethnicity

Tender Face

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Anyone aware of cultural differences (within the UK and outside) in identifying and caring for people with dementia?....

Thanks, Karen (TF), x
 

noelphobic

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Feb 24, 2006
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Tender Face said:
Anyone aware of cultural differences (within the UK and outside) in identifying and caring for people with dementia?....

Thanks, Karen (TF), x


Interesting question Karen. Do you mind if I ask why you are asking it?

I don't have any answers for you at the moment but I am starting an Open University course in Health and Social Care soon and think this is an area that is covered so watch this space!

I would say that one thing I have noticed in the relatively short space of time my mum has been in residential care (less than 2 years) is that I have not come across any residents who are obviously from 'ethnic minorities'.

Whether that is because I live in an area which doesn't have many people from ethnic minorities or whether that is representative of the UK as a whole I don't know.

I will be very interested to hear what others have to say.

I have now just read your question again and wonder if I am misunderstanding it and you mean something else entirely ie do people in other countries care for people with dementia differently, rather than do people within the UK but from other countries care for people differently. Confused? Welcome to my world!
 

Margarita

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Yes I shall 2 video on dementia from the Asian, afro Caribbean community on explaining dementia to there community

Our local Alzheimer's group organised it , they are trying to bring all community together
 

Áine

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Feb 22, 2006
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noelphobic said:
I would say that one thing I have noticed in the relatively short space of time my mum has been in residential care (less than 2 years) is that I have not come across any residents who are obviously from 'ethnic minorities'.

Whether that is because I live in an area which doesn't have many people from ethnic minorities or whether that is representative of the UK as a whole I don't know.

yes, very interesting questions. i've noticed similar noelphobic ....... dad's been in 3 different homes over last 6 months or so, and i don't think i've seen one black or asian face amongst the residents (interestingly, the staff are a different matter and I reckon only about half are white british). But this is an area with a very rich diversity of cultures. The road dad's current home is on has a thriving and busy mosque at teh other end, and the children coming out the school along the road appear very mixed in terms of ethnicity.

i doubt there's a straightforward answer to why this is
 

noelphobic

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Áine said:
yes, very interesting questions. i've noticed similar noelphobic ....... dad's been in 3 different homes over last 6 months or so, and i don't think i've seen one black or asian face amongst the residents (interestingly, the staff are a different matter and I reckon only about half are white british). But this is an area with a very rich diversity of cultures. The road dad's current home is on has a thriving and busy mosque at teh other end, and the children coming out the school along the road appear very mixed in terms of ethnicity.

i doubt there's a straightforward answer to why this is


My mum has been in 2 homes since November 2004, plus one previously for respite a couple of times. As I said, in this area there aren't many people from ethinic minorities so that could be a factor. However, I do wonder whether there is still a committment to looking after the elders at home in those communities or not.

I did have a discussion with the manager of the care home this week about people caring at home. She said that she thought it was happening less because the extended family didn't exist the way it used to. I think that is partly true but I also think more people live longer and in poorer health than used to be the case.

I do sometimes wonder, when I have issues with my mum's nursing home, as has been the case this week, if the staff are wondering how I dare to comment or criticise when I can't look after her myself! Or is that me being over sensitive/guilty etc?
 

noelphobic

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Áine said:
interestingly, the staff are a different matter and I reckon only about half are white british). But this is an area with a very rich diversity of cultures. The road dad's current home is on has a thriving and busy mosque at teh other end, and the children coming out the school along the road appear very mixed in terms of ethnicity.
i

The staff in mum's nh are almost exclusively white British, apart from a lady and gentleman who were recently recruited who I believe come from Poland.

One of the staff members used to work in my mum's first 'home' which I still have an ongoing complaint with the CSCI about. The staff member didn't work there at the time of the incident but still has friends there so she must know about it. There is also a resident there who lived in the same 'home' previously and her closest relative is about as complimentary about that home as I am!

I am wandering off topic here and will return to the complaint if and when I ever get a final report from the CSCI!
 

Margarita

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I don't think i've seen one black or asian face amongst the residents

I live in london Fulham

I have seen a few black and asian people in my mum
Respite home and a few black people in our AZ day care centre , your find that people from both those community care for then at home rather then put them in a care home , because that what they do in there home country .

I am talking of the
Generation of people of the age 70 and over.

PS


In both video I saw people voluntary visiting people at there home, advising the carer and organising evening out for all the carer I thought what a good support net work they have
 
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Norman

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Within the Birmingham area there are Asian care homes
The extended family seems to be fading out as it has with white families.
Norman
 

noelphobic

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Margarita said:
I live in london Fulham

I have seen a few black and asian people in my mum
Respite home and a few black people in our AZ day care centre , your find that people from both those community care for then at home rather then put them in a care home , because that what they do in there home country .

I am talking of the
Generation of people of the age 70 and over

I think that is what I was trying to say in one of my previous posts - that people from these communities are less likely to put their loved ones into residential care. However, I think it could be a good thing if they are using the day centres and respite care as it must help them cope for longer at home.

When you talk about people being 70 or over do you mean the person with dementia or their carers? I know many people in my mum's nursing home are 90 or over and I often think that their children must be over 60 or 70 and would once have been considered to be 'old people' themselves! Yet here they are caring for their parents!
 

noelphobic

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Norman said:
Within the Birmingham area there are Asian care homes
The extended family seems to be fading out as it has with white families.
Norman

I am probably going into dangerous territory here but what the hell ... Norman when you say Asian care homes do you mean that these homes are exclusively for Asian people?!!!

I'll let the rest of you fill in the blanks!
 

Kayla

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May 14, 2006
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Ethnicity

I've also noticed that there have been no ethnic minority people in any of the three homes that Mum has been in. The staff at her NH are from every corner of the world though.
In the hospital, the patients were also mainly white with a multi-racial staff. In the local towns, about 5% to 10% of people are from ethnic minorities. Could it be that the indigenous population is aging, and with higher standards of living, people are often living well into their 80's and 90's.
The people from other countries, tend to be younger, with young families and perhaps their elderly relatives would prefer to stay at home or return to families abroad. They might also have extended families which can care more easily for elderly or sick people.
I think there are quite a few elderly people who don't have any surviving relatives, because of the Second World War, or have outlived their children. My Mum has lost contact with her younger brother, who emmigrated to Canada in the 1960's, but who may have returned to London later. The War did cause a lot of population movement and social change.
Kayla
 

Margarita

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I mean the person with Dementia


your find that my Generation 46 in the black community care for them at home & then in the last stages may put them in a care home .

I did see in the vidio a black day centre , But never heard of a all black afro Caribbean care home like Normal said there is for
Within the Birmingham area there are Asian care homes
 

Áine

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I've a vague memory from diversity training ages ago that the idea that people from other cultures all want to care for their elderly at home, is a bit of a myth. I don't remember the details and it's Friday night etc etc.

But I guess the fact that a lot of us don't see black and asian faces in care homes means just that, that we don't see them. I guess we can't automatically assume that people from those cultures want to care for people at home. There could be lots of other reasons:

they're not aware of services
they don't feel that service provision is appropriate to their cultural/religious needs
they're not able to access appropriate services
diagnosis/assessment isn't available in the same way because of language/cultural issues.

and because we don't see people from other cultures in the services, we assume they don't need them, and therefore don't provide for them. something of a vicious circle maybe
 

Margarita

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is a bit of a myth

I am not to sure of that Or maybe it’s what the white English people like to think. Not sure what is political correct to say when you say(white English people) it and if I you can say white English people or a white face with out anyone taking offence.

Anyway my children are of mix race father afro Caribbean I Spanish

My ex is 62 and from mixing in to his culture I find that they do look after there elderly at home and asking why they have said because in there home land they have small community & all keep an eye out for each other, people with dementia they just leave them wondering around , because they know they are safe .so to come to this country in the 50s when the British government gave them jobs that generation look after there own , now there children /Grandchildren that our born in England have more option in what care they want to give someone with dementia
 
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Lila13

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Indian relations were very surprised and concerned that my mother was still living alone in her own house when she was over 80, but that was her choice, and who had the power to restrict her choices?

My mother pointed out to her Sri Lankan, Philippino, Polish and Nigerian home helps, carers and nurses that their labour was probably sadly lacking in their home countries, I am sure they were all well aware of that fact.

I know someone who works in an Asian old people's home in East London. I don't know how it works, the selection procedures. I hope such homes won't lead to greater segregation generally.

One of the homes I visited while looking for a place for my mother is 95% Jewish. Not by policy, but mainly just people choosing to go into a place where they know people already, and can keep up with their social lives and dietary practices.

If you "adopt a Grannie" through Help the Aged, you find that there are in fact quite a lot of elderly people in poorer countries who aren't looked after by their families, they just can't afford it with no pensions, Social Services or NHS, and have to rely on charity or die. And "elderly" starts a lot younger where life expectancies generally are so much lower than what we've got used to here.

Lila
 

Tender Face

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Noelphobic, of course I don’t mind you asking why I asked! And thanks to everyone for their responses here…

Not like me to ask a question without a load of pre-amble I know :rolleyes: - so here’s the post-amble…

Had set about yesterday starting to make plans to organise a memory walk for 24/9 and had come up with an idea for a route which was very much inner-city (Manchester) …(oodles of people to rattle a collecting tin at*, massive audience to raise awareness, etc)….. then realised that said route would naturally mean the walk would be through areas where ethnic minorities were in the majority (if that makes sense) (not forgetting some stunning industrial landscape!:) )

I realise that dementia is indiscriminate but suspect that there are cultural differences in how it is ‘acknowledged‘ even and ‘managed’ (that’s sounds a really crass word, I know, sorry) within family, if it exists, or within communities. I wondered what impact walking through Chinatown, say, with an AS T-shirt on would really have…… how would our black and Asian neighbours see such an ‘exercise’…. etc…. could I even cause ‘offence’?

I think Áine has summed up some of my thought processes (thanks!)…..

Áine said:
they're not aware of services
they don't feel that service provision is appropriate to their cultural/religious needs
they're not able to access appropriate services
diagnosis/assessment isn't available in the same way because of language/cultural issues.

and because we don't see people from other cultures in the services, we assume they don't need them, and therefore don't provide for them. something of a vicious circle maybe

Gosh, this started out as such a simple 'project'!!!!!

Love and thanks, all, Karen (TF), x


* Just to go off track slightly…. Have started to plough through the comprehensive guidance provided here on fundraising….. “organising a walk” clearly is not just plotting a route!!!!! Absolutely brilliant support form AS! Just hope I can pull something off! New thread on Fundraisers’ Forum for Mancunians/Salfordians especially - of ANY race and culture, please!!!! ….. have contacted the Manchester branch of AS … will keep you all posted….. Thanks again!:)
 

Tender Face

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'Exercise'!!!!

Margarita, by exercise I meant 'task' or 'undertaking' - as in 'an 'undertaking' to participate in a Memory Walk to promote awareness and hopefully also raise funds for AS.

Sadly, you're right - I also desperately need the 'exercise'!!!!:D

In fact, one of my 'PR' ploys for sponsorship for this event (assuming I get it all together) is the fact that 5 years ago I was completely paralysed from the waist down for a few weeks and only regained full mobility after 6 months ... that I can walk at all is a gift... that I could contemplate undertaking a walk for any charity would have been unthinkable..... if I can pull this off for AS I will also be making my own contribution to the support group (GBS) who helped me through desperate times - if only to give hope to others ......

Love, Karen (TF), x
 

Margarita

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Memory Walk to promote awareness

Enlight me please what does a Memory walk mean ? I mean why call it a memory , as I am of ethnic minorities .

So what come to my mind is in Memory of ?

Does it mean in Memory of all the people that have died from Alzheimer's ?

Or that the Memory that dies in the person of AD , but the physical body is still alive



If I was you I would not worry on offending anyone in this Multicultural Society that the ethnic minorities will never be the majority because the majority is white in UK (I new what you meant, but never say that as you may then course offence )

You got me thinking now tender face when the Notting hill caravel in on at the end of august I could wear an AZ tea shirt if I can get one. I got lost one year in the Notting hill caravel .

I do think the walk that your going to do is great :)
 
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Norman

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Margaret
I did not make this statement,I only spoke of Asians

I did see in the vidio a black day centre , But never heard of a all black afro Caribbean care home like Normal said there is for
Quote:
Within the Birmingham area there are Asian care homes

Norman