Objective: Few studies have focused on the ethnic minority person in institutional care in the hosting country, Sweden. Leaving home care and being admitted to the somewhat unfamiliar environment in an institution is a challenge both for the patient and the professional carers at the ward.
Design: The aim of the study was to describe the experiences of being admitted to institutional care, including cultural aspects from the perspectives of the ethnic minority elders and the professional carers.
Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach and grounded theory with open-ended questions was used. There were 22 participants, including 14 relatives of the patients and 8 professional carers at different wards. The patients and relatives had Finnish and former Jugoslavian background and were suffering from dementia. Interviews were taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed.
Results: The results showed that due to cultural and language barriers, there were communication problems which affected the patients socially, mentally and physiologically. The patients ran the risk of being socially isolated from the other Swedish patients, and of being seen more cognitively impaired than they actually were. Communication problems could also trigger behavioral disturbances such as aggression and depression, which was difficult for both patients and carers to cope with. Due to cultural differences such as different food traditions, the patients were at increased risk of malnutrition and the physiological consequences of that condition.
Conclusion: When the ethnic minority person suffering from dementia is admitted to an institution in the hosting country, he or she will run the risk of being in a disadvantaged position in comparison to the Swedish patients.
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