The sensitivity of United Kingdom health-care services to the diverse needs of Chinese-origin older people
- 14 December 2009
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Ageing and Society
- Vol. 30 (3), 383-401
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x09990468
Abstract
This paper is a contribution to the debate on how to make health-care services in the United Kingdom more responsive to the needs of older people who are members of recent immigrant groups. The focus is on the Chinese-origin elders, and the objective is to demonstrate their diverse migrant histories, cultural backgrounds and attitudes to both ‘traditional’ and Western health-care practices. The underlying argument is that if National Health Service staff had a better understanding of the diversity of Chinese older people, this would make an important contribution to making the service more sensitive to their needs. To develop this argument, this paper carries out three main analytical tasks. The first is to discuss the range of strategies adopted by Chinese people in general and Chinese older people in particular to improve their health. The second is to study Chinese people's heritage of exploring different methods to organise health in response to foreign culture. The third considers the ways in which the sensitivity of British health-care services to the needs of ethnic-minority groups can be improved, with a focus on the culturagram instrument and procedure. Three contrasting examples are presented.Keywords
This publication has 21 references indexed in Scilit:
- Elderly Immigrants in Sweden: ‘Otherness’ Under ConstructionJournal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2006
- The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice: Views and Experiences of Social Workers and StudentsThe British Journal of Social Work, 2005
- The integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicineEuropean Review, 2003
- Social exclusion of Chinese people in BritainCritical Social Policy, 2001
- Smoking and alcohol consumption in a UK Chinese populationPublic Health, 2001
- An excess of culture: the myth of shared care in the Chinese community in BritainAgeing and Society, 2001
- Cross-Cultural Comparison of Health Perceptions, Concerns, and Coping Strategies among Asian and Pacific Islander American EldersQualitative Health Research, 2000
- The Application of the Culturagram in Cross-Cultural Practice with Elder Abuse VictimsJournal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 1997
- Confucian welfare philosophy and social change technology: an integrated approach for international social developmentInternational Social Work, 1993
- Cultural Differences in Health BeliefsPublished by Informa UK Limited ,1992