Engaging Social Justice Methods to Create Palliative Care Programs That Reflect the Cultural Values of African American Patients with Serious Illness and Their Families: A Path Towards Health Equity
Ronit Elk, Shena Gazaway
Abstract
Cultural values influence how people understand illness and dying, and impact their responses to diagnosis and treatment, yet end-of-life care is rooted in white, middle class values. Faith, hope, and belief in God's healing power are central to most African Americans, yet life-preserving care is considered "aggressive" by the healthcare system, and families are pressured to cease it.
Topics & Concepts
FaithEquity (law)Palliative careHealth careHealth equityPower (physics)Middle classAfrican americanSocial justiceWhite (mutation)Belief systemCultural valuesPsychologyMedicineNursingGerontologySociologyCriminologyPolitical scienceGender studiesLawGeneEthnologyQuantum mechanicsChemistryPhysicsBiochemistryPhilosophyTheologyPalliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesPatient Dignity and PrivacyGrief, Bereavement, and Mental Health