b'CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CARECulturally appropriate care: A conversationWhat do equity, diversity, and inclusionlook like in long-term care?W ith an ever-changingDEFINING CULTURALLY aware and we can start to enhance demographic landscape,APPROPRIATE CARE and really provide that quality of life how do we providefor them when they arrive.culturally appropriate care that can beADIL KHALFAN: From my perspective, tailored to individual needs? And withculturally specific care is actuallyDR. SAN NG: Yee Hong is known an increasing reliance on newcomersrooted in patient-centred care oras primarily an Asian-serving to Canada within the caregivingresident-centred care. You can\'t haveorganization because that was our workforce, how do we ensure weone without the other. If we are reallyrootsto remove barriers to access are creating inclusive and welcominggoing to be a patient- or resident- for individuals who do not speak work environments?centred organization, and a healthEnglish as their first language, who care system, then we really need tohave certain values, customs and These questions are top of mind withunderstand that individual and theirbeliefs. Yee Hong actually supports leaders and care providers today familyand part of that is their uniquemany different Asian populations. not only in Canada, but around theidentity and their culture.We care for a large Chinese-world. Two leaders in long-term careCanadian population but we also in Ontario that operate in culturallyKensington Healths long-term carehave a dedicated floor for Japanese diverse communities joined thehome, the Gardens, is in one of theCanadians, and provide care and Ontario Long Term Care Associationsmost culturally diverse pockets ofservices for other Asians including Coming of Age podcast to discussdowntown Toronto. Not only do weSouth Asians and Filipino individuals balancing the cultural needs of theirhave an incredibly diverse residentas well. We also support partners communities with person-centredpopulation, but we also have verysuch as the Indigenous communities, individual care for the people theirdiverse teams, with more than and weve worked with the Jamaican organizations serve.20 different languages spoken in Canadian population as well.our home.The following article is adapted from a podcast conversation in 2023 withWe try to understand the peopleUltimately, we want to understand Adil Khalfan, President and CEO ofcoming to us way before they comewhere a person is coming from, Kensington Health, and Dr. San Ng,to our home. And that makes thewhat\'s important to them, what gives CEO of Yee Hong Centre for transition better for them, theirthem a sense of meaning, and what Geriatric Care. families, and for our staff, so that we\'rea high-quality life looks like for them."Culturally specific care is actually rootedThats not a simple thing. Culture is not homogenous. You\'ll hear us in resident-centred care. You can\'t have onesay that a lot. In China, there are 23 provinces. There are many different without the other." dialects, different attitudes and beliefs towards seniors care, towards - Adil Khalfan family values, and towards what independence means. 44 LONG TERM CARE TODAY Fall/Winter 2024'