Culturally Competent Care

Chosen Family Home Care was inspired to address the unmet and underserved needs of our most vulnerable members of the local Philadelphia population, including LGBTQ individuals and people of color (POC). As America’s population becomes more diverse and as more seniors choose to age in place, the need for culturally sensitive care is vital. 

 

Chosen Family believes that healthcare workers at all levels must have a high level of cultural competence to effectively care for patients. This is particularly true for caregivers and nurses who work with patients at home.

 

What is cultural competence?

 

Cultural competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. 

 

A culturally competent health care system can help improve health outcomes and quality of care, and can contribute to the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities. 

 

A caregiver who is culturally competent is respectful, curious, and responsive to their patients’ beliefs and preferences. Although it’s impossible for home care staff to know all the nuances of every culture, caregivers can learn how to assess patients’ cultural backgrounds and language skills to communicate more effectively. Chosen Family facilitates this through its rigorous training program which focuses on the highest level of cultural competence and sensitivity for all of our caregivers and staff. 

 

Increasing diversity 

 

The American population is getting older and becoming more culturally diverse each year. In 2012, around 21 percent of people over the age of 65 were a race other than white in the U.S. By 2030, their share of the population will rise to over 28 percent, and surpass 40 percent of the population by 2050. 

 

Caregivers in the home care industry are also becoming more diverse. For example, personal care aides, home health aides, and nursing assistants are mostly people of color (58%), and 9 in 10 are women. These workers often spend the most time with patients, assisting with activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, and eating.

 

The diverse racial makeup of both the American public and the healthcare workforce outlines how important cultural competence is between caregivers and patients. 

Learn more about the importance of culturally competent care for seniors

Chosen Family’s training protocol for cultural competence

 

How do Chosen Family’s home care workers become culturally competent caregivers?

 

Chosen Family believes that prioritizing cultural competence within the organization starts at the top.

 

For starters, Chosen Family utilizes the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) national standards on culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health care as a foundation of its protocol to facilitate culturally competent care. 

 

In addition, Chosen Family has enacted the following towards its goals of culturally sensitive and inclusive care:

 

  • Establishing policies and procedures that promote cultural competence. Chosen Family has committed vital training resources while also coordinating with local community groups to ensure the delivery of culturally competent care.
  • Actively recruiting and retaining minority staff.
  • Providing cultural competence training to caregivers. We make training comprehensive and accessible to our caregivers. Chosen Family utilizes an online platform of home care and hospice training. This allows viewers to access resources anywhere, including right at the patient’s home.
  • Ensuring patient access to printed resources and other materials in their spoken language. Language barriers prevent many people in the U.S. from accessing quality health care. It’s crucial for home care providers to ensure patients can get the information they need to make informed decisions about their care. Chosen Family does its part by working to match caregivers and clients that speak the same language while relying on interpreter and translation services for any other needs to facilitate knowledge and understanding. 
  • Including family members in healthcare decision-making. Chosen Family believes strongly in the role that family can have in ensuring high-quality care and positive health outcomes for the patient. It is our philosophy to include family in the decision-making process as directed by the patient. 
  • Using community health workers and local organizations. Chosen Family understands that cultural competence is an aspiration and that our organization may need further assistance and guidance on fulfilling our mission of culturally competent care. As a result, Chosen Family partners with community health workers and other local organizations that provide culturally appropriate health resources information, additional interpretation and translation services, counseling and guidance on health behaviors, and others.

 

Every person’s cultural background influences their values, beliefs, and attitudes. Chosen Family believes that when caregivers at home actively work to understand and respect the cultural values of the clients they serve, they’re better equipped to deliver high-quality care. Through training and continued support, Chosen Family strives to be the best provider of culturally competent care throughout the Philadelphia region.