A study of Cross-Cultural Care for the Foreign Elderlies in Okinawa / 国際保健医療

ABSTRACT

Introduction  The purpose of this study was to reveal the current conditions of the nursing care system for elderly and determine the problems concerning the cross-culture care practice. Methods  This study is a qualitative and descriptive research. We conducted a semistrustured interview study including six foreign sresidents in Okinawa who provided consent to participate in the study.  After recording verbatim and extracting the contents related to elderly nursing care, We coded these contents into each semantic unit to extract the themes by repeating the reorganization/integration while considering the similarity of the contents. Results  We extracted 126 codes as a narration related to nursing care and generated. 61 subcategories and 17 categories. Next,we extracted the following nine themes 1） struggles overcoming the language barrier. 2） anxieties over symptom control or treatment of their illnesses. 3） a financial burden for receiving satisfactory medical treatment. 4） a sense of security with someone who understands their language, 5） affection by overcoming language barriers. 6） a cross-cultural environment in which they can choose their own living condition, 7） a sense of appreciation for care services that assist in achieving life stability. 8） adaptation to the cross-cultural life and attachment to Okinawa,and 9） life supported by religion, and the method of burial according to religion.Conclusion  The prpbrems should be resolved through 1） care service restructuring with the involvement of the recipients. 2） utilizing their community where they can share cultural connection, 3） fostering an interculture environment, 4） supporting caregivers, and 5） supporting an ideal end-of-life care with religion.