Diverse, culturally rich approaches to family care in the United States

Caregivers and caregiving needs are growing and diversifying in the United States (US). However, the health system is not prepared to accommodate this diversity. Interventions and supports often are not adequately tailored to meet the cultural needs of older adults and their caregiving teams. The limited interventions available and tested with racial/ethnic minority populations often fail to capture and report culturally tailored perspectives. The purpose of this chapter is to describe how culture influences caregiving. Cultural domains such as norms, values, and cultural meaning are discussed and case examples from the African American, Hispanic/Latino, and immigrant communities are presented to demonstrate how these cultural domains interact with the sociocultural environment to impact care. Examples of culturally tailored programs in the US are given to demonstrate how such strategies can benefit families. Although cultural tailoring of interventions is necessary and recommended, culture itself is dynamic and varied, which makes it impossible to identify all the unique characteristics of a specific culture. The practice of cultural humility and fluidity is offered as an approach to facilitate cultural understanding and awareness in everyday care experiences.