b'CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CAREA Chinese New Year celebration at a Yee Hong LTC, where residents\' beliefs and traditions are honouredProviding culturally appropriate careYee Hong shares insights on helping residentsof all backgrounds feel at homeW hat defines culturallychoice, including long-term care,can be learned or applied in broad appropriate care? How is itindependent living, and in their ownstrokes. It takes a personal and being provided in your long- homes. This reputation is foundednuanced touch.term care home? These are importanton an organizational culture in which questions to ask in a province richeach resident\'s unique identity As one example, Each person or with diverse cultures, values andtheir values, beliefs, traditions andculture may have unspoken rules beliefs. They are also questions thatpreferencesis truly honoured. about politeness in how they are dont necessarily lend themselves toaddressed or how they wish to easy or definitive answers but ratherOne Asian person isnt the samecommunicate, says Chau Nhieu-Vi, conversations that evolve alongsideas another, Dr. Ng explains. Yes,Executive Director of Yee Hongs Ontarios long-term care there may be some commonalitiesMississauga Long-Term Care Home. home demographics.in terms of outlook, but the culturallyIts best to communicate with people appropriate care discussion needsin a way that they prefer. Ontario is multicultural, so I thinkto start with an understanding that theres a need to take a fresh lookeveryone is unique and that culturallyIndividuals and their family members at what culturally appropriate caresensitive, person-centred care goesalso have different end-of-life values actually means and how we, as long- much deeper than speaking theirand rituals for individuals, which we term care professionals, live that innative language or serving respect, adds Nazira Jaffer, Executive our homes, says Dr. San Ng, Chieftraditional foods. Director of Yee Hongs Hospice.Executive Officer with the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care. It\'s a valuable understanding, both forCertainly, there is no cookie-cutter homes where residents with sharedapproach; no one thing that can be It\'s a passionate topic for Dr. Ng andidentities live, and homes in whichpointed out as culturally appropriate the Yee Hong Centre team. Openedresidents have a wider spectrumcare and applied the same way to in 1994, Yee Hong has a renownedof cultures and ethnicities. Dr. Ngother homes.history of providing a safe, welcoming,notes, "We treat our residents and enriching environment and high- clients as though they are our ownIt\'s not just one action, says Mabel quality services to allow 15,000family members; in fact, Yee HongsHo, Director of Education and Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Southnew logo is patterned after theResearch at Yee Hong Centre. ItsAsian older adults across the Greaterword "family" in Chinese. Culturallythe attitude, the belief, the practice, Toronto Area to live in settings of theirappropriate care isn\'t a strategy thatand the value which surrounds their 38 LONG TERM CARE TODAY Spring/Summer 2023'