Nursing is primarily associated with such values as kindness, compassion, and empathy. However, in the age of globalization, cultural competence, open-mildness, and respect for cultural traditions also became necessary for nursing staff. Furthermore, in addition to being respectful and informed about cultural differences, nurses should also know how to implement the knowledge in patient care. This essay will explore Amish beliefs on death and dying and explain how curses can be culturally sensitive in care for dying Amish patients.
The Amish population is the descendants of religious followers of the Mennonite Church from Switzerland. The Amish population has been growing steadily in the last ten years; according to Anderson and Potts (2020), the projections predict that by 2030 the Amish population will exceed 500,000 people. Thus, the integration of religious outlook on healthcare in Amish populations presents a significant potential issue for nursing specialists in rural areas.
Furthermore, Amish beliefs about death separate them from other Christian groups. Amish beliefs suggest that the deceased immediately passes to God after death, which explains why the Amish do not practice public grief. The religious beliefs also explain why most Amish people prefer home care over institutional care. Amish people prefer to be surrounded by familiar faces at the moment of death. Nurses’ care for dying patients primarily focuses on promoting comfort and providing medications for pain relief. Thus, nurses can practice cultural sensitivity in caring for dying Amish patients by providing at-home care services.
In conclusion, this essay explored the importance of cultural sensitivity in the nurse’s profession. The essay defined that the steady growth of the Amish population requires increasing nurses’ awareness of cultural beliefs in this population group. The Amish population has specific religious beliefs about the dying process, prioritizing the environment at the time of death. Thus, nurses can practice cultural sensitivity in meeting the needs of dying Amish patients by providing home care nursing services.
Reference
Anderson, C., & Potts, L. (2020). The Amish health culture and culturally sensitive health services: An exhaustive narrative review. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 265, 1-30. Web.