Source

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, March 10, 2004: At Lake Shore Health Care and Rehabilitation Centre in Chicago, Koreans, Indian and Pakistani residents are able to socialize and live with other people of their culture and religion. The article says, “It is a new phenomenon in the nursing-home industry, where amid the universal signs of old age — the wheelchairs and walkers, IV bags and bedpans — administrators have increasingly grouped residents by culture and ethnicity, down to providing separate staffs, activities and meal plans.” Sung Y Kim, an 83-year-old native of Korea, is happy that she is able to converse in her native language, eat Korean food, have Korean doctors and nurses take care of her, and socialize with others from her country. Syed Shah, who lives in the Indian wing, enjoys the cultural programs such as dance and Indian food of spicy dal and fresh roti. The article adds, “Such living areas help centralize bilingual staff and make residents feel at home, proponents say. But critics argue the approach is unnecessarily polarizing and even offensive to American ideals.” Melanie Chavin, vice president for program services at the Alzheimer’s Association in Illinois, says, “The other half of the debate, especially when you are dealing with memory loss, is that people might not remember they are even living in America. Why not give them what they are familiar with?” Other interesting statistics from the article include: “In Illinois, the percentage of white residents in nursing homes declined by 6 percentage points between 1997 and 2001, while the number of Indian, Asian and Hispanic residents increased yearly, according to a report by the Illinois Department of Public Health.” Shiva Singh Khalsa, who runs the Indian and Pakistani program at Lake Shore, says, “In the face of these changes, grouping residents by ethnicity makes sense. If someone is confused – maybe they have dementia – and they don’t see anyone who looks like them, it can be scary.” John Mac Sianghio, administrator of Harmony Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Albany Park in Chicago, says, “We should not be stereotyping, and we should not be segregating.” However, 64-year-old Won Hong is grateful that his 90-year-old mother is with other Korean elders. After his mother had a stroke, he believes that the environment at Lake Shore helped her regain back some responsiveness. HPI adds: While the tradition in India is to care for one parents in one’s home, in the West, it is becoming increasingly common for children to place their parents in care homes. Hinduism Today’s founder, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, recommended that homes for elders be developed next to Hindu temples to meet this need.

Post Views: 678