Paid caregivers are frequently from different cultural background than the care recipient, which raises the possibility of problems in: communication, diet, and cultural gender taboos concerning body touching.
Providers who work with family caregivers from populations other than non-Hispanic white need to be aware of the following issues (Gallagher-Thompson, in Yeo & Gallagher-Thompson, 2006):
- Dementia may be defined as part of the normal aging process.
- Cultural expectations that care for elders be provided by family members (e.g., filial piety) rather than formal services are common in many cultures.
- There may be many family members who are involved in decision making for elders with dementia; they may be extended family members and/or live in another country; there may be differences between those who are less and more acculturated, so patience is needed with the process.
- Family members may be reluctant to admit distress related to caregiving.
