DESCRIPTION

The key concepts included in the Cultural Navigator include factors that health care providers should reflect upon to provide culturally competent care to their older adult patients. As the population of older adults becomes more diverse, it is important for clinicians to understand the subtle, but very significant, ways in which race, ethnicity, and religious background can influence perceptions of health and illness, as well as impact the development of a provider-patient therapeutic alliance.

Although prior knowledge and familiarity with a patient’s cultural background (especially the historical aspects) is necessary, it may not be sufficient. No culture is monolithic—attitudes and beliefs vary widely from one individual to another within a single cultural group and sometimes even within an individual family. In addition to race and ethnicity, other factors such as past history, immigration status, level of acculturation, education, socioeconomic status, English proficiency, health literacy, religion, and spirituality all have significant influences on an individual’s perceptions and behaviors. Thus, it is inaccurate to assume that a person’s outlook is inflexibly linked to his or her cultural heritage.