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Culturally Competent Care

This resource is meant to be used as a guide. Every religion and culture has differing practices, beliefs, ceremonies, and languages dependent on origin location, community, family, and the individual. If you are unsure about how to best provide support,

Brief Overview

  • Attitudes of mutual tolerance¹
  • Through reincarnation, future lives shaped by how an individual faces adversity¹
  • Goal to break free of the imperfect world and reunite with God¹
  • Work to purify mind for refinement at spiritual level, to ultimately achieve state of Moksha²

Common Rituals

  • Barefoot during religious worships¹
  • Sit below image of deity¹
  • Prayers, meditation, scripture reading, recitation¹
  • Ceremonies vary based on different customs and cultures.¹

Common Health Beliefs

  • Stoicism preferred over praying for health¹
  • May credit illness or injury to karma as a residue of past deeds²
  • Community support is important, so individual likely to have many visitors²

Clinical Considerations

  • Blood and blood products can be used¹
  • Organ donation and receipt are acceptable¹, considered pious act for welfare of humanity²
  • Hot water can be added to cold, but not cold to hot¹
  • Personal hygiene is important, so may need daily bathing¹
  • Fathers and husbands often spokesperson of family and may be looked to for advice¹,²
  • May prefer same gender healthcare provider²

Diet

  • Vegetarian diet common, but each person free to choose own diet²
  • May abstain from beef and/or pork¹
  • Fasting is important on Holy days and certain days in Lunar calendar¹
  • Right hand used for eating, left for hygiene¹

Pregnancy

  • Naming ceremony around 10 days after birth, may wait to name baby¹
  • Circumcision uncommon¹
  • Exact time of birth is important¹
  • Birth control and insemination are accepted¹
  • Because of law of karma, typically against abortion¹,²
    • Beliefs may differ based on culture²
    • Typically allowed to protect life of mother¹

Pain

  • Pain may be seen as results of karma from prior actions¹

End of Life/Death

  • Death seen as liberation for further improvement of karma in next life (reincarnation)²
  • Prefer peaceful environment when dying¹
  • Typically no restrictions on prolonging of life¹
  • Most prefer to die at home¹,²
  • Rituals before death may include:
    • Religious chanting, recitation of The Gita or scripture, last thoughts of God¹
    • Presence of family, person facing east or south (depending on deity), incense burning, lighting lamps²
  • Rituals after death may include:
    • Family washing of body, water trickled into mouth, Holy ash or sandalwood applied²
  • Cremation preferred, as belief that soul lingers¹,²
    • Children under 2 to 5 buried instead of cremated¹,²
  • Body not to be left alone until cremation¹
  • May or may not want autopsy or organs removed/donated¹,²
  • Against assisted dying and suicide¹,²

References

  1. Swihart, D. L., Yarrarapu, S. N. S., & Martin, R. L. (2024). Cultural Religious Competence in Clinical Practice. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493216

  2. Spiritual Care Advisory Committee. (2015). Health Care and Religious Beliefs. Alberta Health Services. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/programs/ps-1026227-health-care-religious-beliefs.pdf