Infusing Culture into the Long-Term Care Environment to Improve Public Health and Quality-of-Life Experience

Kristina Lu,Lisa Spencer

doi:10.21601/ejeph/11336

Abstract

This article examines long-term care quality from a cultural perspective, using Hawaii as its locale. Discussions will center around communication and language, socialization and activities, morals, values, and beliefs. Analyzing the role culture, cultural understanding, and cultural competence plays in the long-term care environment, especially to improve public health and quality of life, ensures programs and services meet the psycho-social needs and promote health, happiness, and satisfaction for the consumer. Based on this study, suggested strategies are relevant and recommended for other US and European long-term care providers to incorporate into their organizational culture when providing long-term care services and support (LTSS).

Highlights

Culture is a set of customs and traditions, beliefs and values, race and religion, and patterns of human behaviors, characteristics of everyday life shared by people in a place or time
Social determinants of health (SDOH), five domains that affect a range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks, must be acknowledged by long-term care providers, since these factors play a role in the overall long-term care experience (ODPHP, 2021a)
Discussions will center around communication and language, socialization and activities, morals, values, and beliefs and offer public health strategies that other US and European long-term care providers can incorporate into their organizational culture when providing long-term care services and support (LTSS) in order to enhance quality of life

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Culture is a set of customs and traditions, beliefs and values, race and religion, and patterns of human behaviors, characteristics of everyday life shared by people in a place or time. Discussions will center around communication and language, socialization and activities, morals, values, and beliefs and offer public health strategies that other US and European long-term care providers can incorporate into their organizational culture when providing long-term care services and support (LTSS) in order to enhance quality of life. Leaders of LTC facilities have the responsibility to create and sustain an environment that humanizes and individualizes each residents quality of life ensuring, among other obligations, that the care and services provided are person-centered, and honor and support each residents preferences, choices, values, and beliefs (NCCAP, 2021a). The central focus of many regulations, including F-tag 684, is the LTC facility’s responsibility to identify and provide needed care and services that acknowledge each resident’s preferences and goals for care that are resident-centered (Elizaitis, 2018). While the focus of this article is about quality of life and not quality of care, culture can affect one’s health, disease, treatment, and care decisions, which can affect a resident/client’s quality of life

BACKGROUND

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DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION