Author
- Alex Broom1
- University of New South Wales (UNSW)1
2015
Excerpt
This presentation is a discussion of the Commonwealth of Australia’s, National Ageing and Aged Care Strategy for People from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (CALD), with a specific focus on palliative care. Four Commonwealth funded projects that are part of the ARC ‘pathways’ project, are looked at. A number of points relating to palliative care and CALD groups are considered.
Dying is a cultural practice and not just a medical issue. Individuals are culturally situated and this affects both professional and personal life. How can cultural values and disadvantage cohere in CALD groups with palliative care needs? Beliefs and values within a CALD community are as diverse as the mainstream non-CALD population. Communication as more than medical knowledge transmission and discussions of prognosis and futility may be lost in translation. Clinicians exercise social power which is expressed culturally and linguistically and may be productive or counter-productive. Emotions and grief are aspects of communication and in a CALD setting clinicians will need to challenge their assumptions.
By properly considering ‘culture’ in palliative care, better outcomes for CALD communities may be achieved. In addition there can be a better understanding of assumptions about living and dying in both mainstream clinical and CALD communities
Dying is a cultural practice and not just a medical issue. Individuals are culturally situated and this affects both professional and personal life. How can cultural values and disadvantage cohere in CALD groups with palliative care needs? Beliefs and values within a CALD community are as diverse as the mainstream non-CALD population. Communication as more than medical knowledge transmission and discussions of prognosis and futility may be lost in translation. Clinicians exercise social power which is expressed culturally and linguistically and may be productive or counter-productive. Emotions and grief are aspects of communication and in a CALD setting clinicians will need to challenge their assumptions.
By properly considering ‘culture’ in palliative care, better outcomes for CALD communities may be achieved. In addition there can be a better understanding of assumptions about living and dying in both mainstream clinical and CALD communities