Understanding Culture Care Among Somali Persons Receiving Home Healthcare

The proposed project identifies cultural factors within the Somali community that are significant in accessing healthcare services in the Western healthcare system. Historically, healthcare providers have cared for persons from the same racial and geographic backgrounds who ascribed to similar cultural and religious values. Because of these similarities between providers and patients, concern for culture and its influence on perceptions of healthcare has not been a primary concern. However, with immigration and globalization, the population composition within the United States has changed drastically. Consequently, healthcare providers have the challenge of caring for patients with diverse cultural values from their own. Guided by the Leininger’s Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality, this project sought to establish a program that integrates the principles of cultural care into a home healthcare system in Minnesota by training personal care assistants to understand Somali culture and how cultural practices affect healthcare in the Somali community. The project, which targets personal care assistants in Minnesota, incorporates a presentation that doubles as a training session on Somali culture and healthcare practices. The project anticipates that personal care providers will benefit from the training, and as a result, they will be able to provide culturally relevant and sensitive care to their Somali patients. Therefore, understanding Somali cultural experiences and practices is a significant step toward bridging the gap between health service providers and the members of the community caused by cultural and religious disparities