May 6 - 8, 2002
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Providing Culturally Competent Disability Services
to Persons Born in other Countries May 6 - 8, 2002 |
Self care activities: Does culture make a difference?
Mulholland, S.
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
susan.mulholland@ualberta.ca
Abstract
Culture influences not only what daily activities people perform, but also how they are performed. Of particular importance is the performance of self-care activities such as bathing, toileting, and dressing. When using a client-centered approach to rehab ilitation, one must take these cultural preferences into consideration, and ensure they are addressed in rehabilitation goals and treatment strategies. This presentation will outline current information available in the literature, documenting differences in the performance of these self-care activities. The focus will be on Eastern populations and will include India, Japan, China and Islamic cultures. Attention will be given to the posture and positioning traditionally used by these cultures (i.e., squat ting, kneeling, cross legged) and the subsequent range of motion and environmental adaptations that should be considered. The goal of this presentation is to increase awareness regarding potential differences in self-care activities, and therefore increas e appropriateness of rehabilitation service delivery.