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Language and Culture in the Caregiving of People with Dementia in Care Homes - What Are the Implications for Well-Being? A Scoping Review with a Welsh Perspective

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Abstract

The loss of language skills is one of the most challenging aspects of living with dementia. This is particularly true for bilingual individuals, who have difficulty in maintaining fluency in more than one language. Language and culture overlap greatly, with potential implications for the well-being of people with dementia (PWD) being cared for in their ‘second’ language or culture. Our aim was to review the available relevant literature, together with an examination of the potential effects of linguistic incongruity on healthcare in general for Welsh speakers in Wales. A literature search yielded 50 articles, which were analysed using the scoping review methodological framework. We found that the presence of cultural and linguistic congruity was beneficial for PWD living in care homes, and that their absence was detrimental. The absence of linguistic congruity is a strong predictor for decreased well-being in people in such settings, due to communication barriers between residents and carers, which result mainly from the loss of PWD’s second language skills. Such barriers may lead to inappropriate care, e.g. being unable to obtain help to self-care, as well as social isolation. This review suggests that strategies need to be developed across the world to accommodate bilingual individuals requiring a care home for their dementia needs. There is a particular dearth of research regarding the influence of bilingualism on the experience of dementia care in those areas of the UK where the indigenous population are most likely to be bilingual (i.e. parts of Wales).

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Abbreviations

PWD:

Person(s) with Dementia

CINAHL:

Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature

MEDLINE:

Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online

ASSIA:

Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), DSDC Wales, Bangor University, Ardudwy, Normal Site, Holyhead Road, Bangor Wales, UK, LL57 2PZ, UK

    Conor Martin, Bob Woods & Siôn Williams

  2. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, North Wales, UK

    Conor Martin

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  1. Conor Martin
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  2. Bob Woods
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  3. Siôn Williams
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Correspondence to Conor Martin.

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This paper is part of an MSc by Research in Ageing in Dementia at Bangor University. This is funded by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and an award by the Welsh British Geriatric Society, but none had any other role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the articles; and in the decision to submit it for publication.

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Martin, C., Woods, B. & Williams, S. Language and Culture in the Caregiving of People with Dementia in Care Homes - What Are the Implications for Well-Being? A Scoping Review with a Welsh Perspective. J Cross Cult Gerontol 34, 67–114 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-018-9361-9

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