Abstract
Many countries rely on migrant care workers. Batalova reports that Northern America and Europe attract more than 52% of international migrants, through cash incentives. Taiwan’s foreign healthcare workers constitute 60+ percent and outnumber local workers by at least 3 to 1. In Northern Italy “41.6% of domestic workers are classified as caregivers/family carers and 82% of these are foreigners.” Dementia care materials must accommodate three related work situations: homecare aides, residential care aides and nursing assistants, and be comprehensible for low-literacy and second-language caregivers. We “need to see multilingual speakers as the norm rather than the exception in society. Immigrant caregivers are a notable portion of the U.S. direct care workforce for people with dementia, comprising 32% of the homecare workforce. Batalova6 reports that immigrant workers comprise 39.8% of home health aides, 28.1% of personal care aides and 21.4% of nursing assistants, workers who are typically underpaid, overworked, minimally trained and likely have aging family members of their own who may need care. No matter where in the world you live, aging persons, many with cognitive impairment or dementia, are being cared for by those who do not speak their language, may not know their cultural preferences, and may not realize when they are sad, ill, or lonely. Our Caregiver Guides for communicating in 20 different dementia care situations were assessed by caregivers in 8 languages, and are currently being AI-enhanced with audio and anime. Once assessed and revised, they will be downloadable into a range of portable devices.
Presenters
Meredith Troutman JordanProfessor of Nursing and Gerontology, School of Nursing, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
DEMENTIA CARE, IMMIGRANT WORKFORCE, PERSON-CENTERED CARE, COMMUNICATIONS
