The Hospice Foundation of America has developed "Addressing Cultural Diversity in Hospice Care," a free online webinar that looks at how, and why, different cultures may, or may not, utilize hospice. This tutorial aims to prepare and equip hospice organizations, and its providers and volunteers, with strategies and information to meet the needs of culturally diverse patients and loved ones.
"It is a human instinct to hope for comfort, peace, and dignity, and to be surrounded by loved ones at the end of life," says Lisa McGahey Veglahn, Program Officer at Hospice Foundation of America. "And yet, there are differences in how people cope with dying and death." HFA's new free online webinar looks at how backgrounds and cultures can influence end-of-life experiences, including how people deal with a terminal diagnosis and grieve a death. Many elements make up a person's culture -- language, social circumstance, religion and spirituality, sexual orientation and gender. All of these can impact how individuals find meaning and purpose in their living and dying and come to terms with the loss and remembrance of family and loved ones. As the Office of Minority Health notes, "Quite simply, health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patients can help bring about positive health outcomes." The outcome can include a good hospice care experience at the end-of-life.
HFA's new program, plus additional resources and Fact Sheets, is available at no charge. Free Continuing Education credits are available for a wide range of professionals. This program is part of HFA's Hospice Information Center, an extensive online library that also includes programs such as Understanding Hospice, Family Caregiving, and Coping with Cancer at the End of Life. The programming provides hospices and other community organizations the opportunity to educate staff and volunteers about the basics of hospice care, caregiving, and grief, and links are provided to guide viewers to more information on a variety of subjects. Other resources are available for consumers, to help family and friends learn about hospice and how it can help people cope with some of life's most challenging situations, in a format that is accessible and understandable. Resources are also available in Spanish and Chinese.