Death and dying is a part of our everyday life, death practices and rituals are all different depending on sex, age, and ethnic/religious backgrounds. As Kathryn Desmond wrote in a 2016 American Nurse today, she stated that “we first must be aware that cultures have different systems of belief around health, wellness, and practices”. We cannot expect for one person to handle the death of a loved one in the same way that you would or anyone else. For healthcare employees, it is of great value to understand the ways that others cope with death and that we are culturally sensitive to everyone because we do not know what death means to them. In this paper, I will be presenting different ways that the Hispanic/Latino culture experience death. In
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Understanding cultural beliefs about death and dying is a very important process in the healthcare field. In order to provide culturally competent care, we first must realize that not all people believe in the same practices and that all death practices are different depending on sex, age, and ethnic/religious backgrounds. I have presented how Hispanics differ from other groups in regard to age, sex, and their religious rituals surrounding death. Hispanics focus on familismo, machismo, and respeto when dealing with the death of a loved one. We must consider that males are the decision makers the majority of times and advocate for the patient that is verbalizing their wishes on end of life care. We are to be sensitive to the family that accompanies the dying patient and take into account that although they may not be blood relatives the patient places great value on godparents, family friends, distant neighbors, and former spouses. Although in American society we place value on palliative care, suggesting hospice care and no extreme measures can be a very sensitive subject in Hispanic families. Hispanics among other ethnic groups have a different view on death and practices are different, it is important to remain educated about what is best for you patient and how you can accommodate for their rituals on death and
Understanding cultural beliefs about death and dying is a very important process in the healthcare field. In order to provide culturally competent care, we first must realize that not all people believe in the same practices and that all death practices are different depending on sex, age, and ethnic/religious backgrounds. I have presented how Hispanics differ from other groups in regard to age, sex, and their religious rituals surrounding death. Hispanics focus on familismo, machismo, and respeto when dealing with the death of a loved one. We must consider that males are the decision makers the majority of times and advocate for the patient that is verbalizing their wishes on end of life care. We are to be sensitive to the family that accompanies the dying patient and take into account that although they may not be blood relatives the patient places great value on godparents, family friends, distant neighbors, and former spouses. Although in American society we place value on palliative care, suggesting hospice care and no extreme measures can be a very sensitive subject in Hispanic families. Hispanics among other ethnic groups have a different view on death and practices are different, it is important to remain educated about what is best for you patient and how you can accommodate for their rituals on death and