Palliative Care Practice Essay: Healthcare and Cultural Considerations

This essay delves into the critical role of cultural sensitivity in palliative care, with a specific focus on the Maori population. The author emphasizes the importance of understanding Maori beliefs and values related to illness, death, and grieving to provide culturally appropriate care. The essay highlights the need for a safe and supportive environment, open communication, and the integration of cultural practices to ensure patient well-being and comfort during end-of-life care. It discusses the significance of emotional, social, and spiritual support, as well as the need to address potential cross-cultural misunderstandings. The essay concludes by advocating for the alignment of palliative care resources with the cultural preferences of the individuals, emphasizing the crucial role of cultural assessment in delivering optimal care. The essay references key studies, which supports the importance of cultural sensitivity in palliative care.

Running head: PALLIATIVE CARE PRACTICE
Palliative Care Practice
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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PALLIATIVE CARE PRACTICE
The Maori population is a diverse group known to face various challenges in healthcare,
the most important one being linked to cultural differences. The present essay discusses the
importance of culture in care provided to Maori clients and family in palliative and end of life
care that contributes to better quality of life and dying.
According to Gott et al., (2017) the perceptions of Maori individuals related to illness,
death, grieving and healing revolve around the notions of balance, harmony and unity.
Individuals from the Maori population are in need of a culturally safe environment that enables
shared, free and open expression of sorrow and grief, related to death. The isolation and distress
that individuals suffer from are to be addressed through comfort and warmth. While providing
palliative care to the Maori population it is necessary to have an approach that is aligned with
that of the client. This includes a thorough understanding of the cultural differences related to the
dying process.
Considering the cultural beliefs of the Maori population ensures that patient-centered
medicines are provided. This is of much importance in cross-cultural consultations as the
chances of misunderstandings and misconceptions are high. Acknowledgement of cultural
conventions ensures that the client is provided with a safe environment (Oetzel et al., 2015). The
common grounds for cross-cultural misunderstandings are those related to spirituality, authority,
physical contact, communication styles, gender differences and family. Research indicates that
the Maori population gives importance to the emotional, social and spiritual attributes related to
death. Thus palliative care given to such clients has to have emotional support as the core
element (Simpson et al., 2015). Compassionate care to be given has to be driven by action values
of sharing, receiving and caring. Culture provides the clients with a sense of belonging. Further,
it is the way in which they engage with dying and bereavement.

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PALLIATIVE CARE PRACTICE
In conclusion it can be said that culture plays a primitive role in guiding and
strengthening patients undergoing palliative care at the end of their life. An accurate assessment
of cultural strengths and weaknesses of the client would place the healthcare professionals in a
position to deliver safe and optimal quality care. End- of- life and palliative care resources are to
be aligned with the cultural preferences of the individuals.

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PALLIATIVE CARE PRACTICE
References
Gott, M., Moeke-Maxwell, T., Morgan, T., Black, S., Williams, L., Boyd, M., ... & Waterworth,
S. (2017). Working bi-culturally within a palliative care research context: the
development of the Te Ārai Palliative Care and End of Life Research
Group. Mortality, 22(4), 291-307.
Oetzel, J. G., Simpson, M., Berryman, K., & Reddy, R. (2015). Differences in ideal
communication behaviours during end-of-life care for Māori carers/patients and palliative
care workers. Palliative medicine, 29(8), 764-766.
Simpson, M. L., Berryman, K., Oetzel, J., Iti, T., & Reddy, R. (2015). A cultural analysis of New
Zealand palliative care brochures. Health promotion international, 31(4), 839-848.