Racial Tensions in Elderly-Care Home Setting - Essay Example

Racial Tensions in Elderly-Care Home Setting Introduction In the context of modern society, racism is a vice that cannot be tolerated. There has been a lot of effort in the past aimed at eradicating the depravity, and it has notably made very positive strides forward. In a world where different societies interact, there is virtually no room for racism. Some societies such as the United Kingdom are even more diverse in that very different cultures have been able to refer to the region as home. It is the interaction between such individuals that acts as the heartbeat on which the nation endures. With reference to the global setup at present, communities that are made up of diverse cultures seem to do better in numerous aspects as compared to those that are not (Cramer 2003). The aspect of diversity that may contribute significantly to the advancement of the society in general is likely that of intelligence. Racism in most incidences is a manifestation of lack of intelligence that would otherwise demonstrate to an individual that there is no difference between them and another person from a different race. Initially, the antagonism was directed towards individuals from different tribes, but this has continually faded and transformed into racism. The fate of racism is very likely to be similar to that of tribalism, but it may take longer since it transpires at a greater magnitude (Cramer 2003). Although racism is not a major concern in the United Kingdom, there are pockets that extensively nurture it. One such setting is that of elderly care centres where the victims may not retort for the same reason they are in the facilities in the first place. The intent of this work is to address the issue of racism in the elderly care home setting. There are different viewpoint to this issue, and this work aims at looking at them. Cause The most evident query at this point is likely to question why racism is still rampant in the elderly care home setting whereas the rest of the United Kingdom seems to have seen the light. Why is it that racism has been forced out of the society and seemed to have entertained in these homes? There are correct responses to this query but only a handful are aware of them. In fact, most residents of the nation are not aware that racism is a common practice in these homes. Although many people are not open to the idea of taking their relatives to these homes, circumstances have forced many to do so as they are not in a position to offer the much needed care (Macrae 2012). As an effort to realise the reason behind the practice of racism in the elderly homes, it is initially appropriate to comprehend the factors that sets these home apart from society. Doing so allows one to be in a position to establish the precise factors that may to blame. These homes are meant to provide care to the elderly in the society, a population that had to live in another generation that is very separate from the one that is in force today. The elderly is society are not very vibrant and the fact that they are few as compared to other age gaps means that their influence in society is minimal (Macrae 2012). However, bringing them together nurtures a very distinctive atmosphere that is far from the one that is in the rest of the UK society. Even though many elderly individuals may feel uncomfortable in these homes, many find it comfy as the other residents are more appealing. Finding age mates that lived life in the same years as one did in a society that is increasingly taking a different path to life is a stimulating feeling. It is an opportunity to relive life with the rules that were with disregard with those that are. This is merely one angle of looking at racism at an elderly home setting, and one that is the centre of focus in this case (Castle 2010). Since these elderly individuals are at a facility that caters to them, there is a management platform that allows for the control of operations. It is important to make sure the standards and principles enforced in the society are enforced within the elderly homes to ensure that care is provided in the most contemporary means, and that vices such as racism do not find room to flourish. The fact that this vice in particular has found it easy to flourish in these homes is an indication that of ineffective management of interracial relationships. Evidence It is important for those who run the elderly care facilities to be aware of the fact that the concept of society that they may hold is very distinct from that of the elderly persons they care for. It is a fact that summons action, appropriate action to be precise. Case Study The case brought forth by Span (2011) about B will be the centre of focus in this work as it exemplifies a scenario that is taking shape in almost every elderly home. The title of the article “race complicate living decisions” is a depiction of the views that are very important to this case. The author tries to show how race plays a part in the care provided for the elderly. The selection of the case of B is because it is a real case and shows the concerns of both the home and the people entering into the homes. B in this case is the daughter of an elderly father who needs to be taken care of, and the only way this can happen is by placing him in an elderly-home care. It is difficult for B to find a home for her father since the sought of society that her father is used to is not what most homes practice. The issue is that B and her father are African Americans and most of the homes they visit seem predominantly white, for lack of a better word. The reason why this is an issue is because B shows concern that her father may be exposed to racism (Span 2011). Again, the issue of the times when the elderly grew up in is revisited when B exclaims that her father grew up in the south where segregation between the two races was apparent. Even in the 21st century, this issue still emerges because that is the life these elderly individuals of the society have known for many years. It is almost impossible to ask the father to be comfortable in the homes where they have visited with B as he has been made to grow up with the misconception that racism. The concern that B particularly has is that her father will be subjected to racism because the other elderly individuals in these homes also grew up during the same time as her father; and hence may be equally racist (Span 2011). The main concern in the case of study however is where the director of one such institutions does not understand the nature of diversity that B is referring to, and the father exclaims that they looked like employees. To some extent, the director does not seem to be open to the idea of an African American as one of the patients the facility is supposed to cater for. He is only open to diversity that allows patients from Europe. This is the bit that the paper aims to decipher; ineffective management of interracial relationships. Ineffective Management of Interracial Relationships What the director demonstrates in this case is the inability to effect management in the most appropriate manner. With these deprived qualities of management, the vice of racism is embraced in such a home and end up being a step backward although most other aspects of facility may be indicating otherwise. Maybe the issue of racism is not taken up with the much severity it deserves. Elderly African Americans In the article by Span, there is an illustration that most elderly members in African American families do not spend time in elderly home care because of financial reasons. This is particularly so because these families may have some members who can take care of the. However, the case of B and the father brings about another possibility. It can be said that racism is another reason as to why the elderly in African American families do not attend these elderly homes. The case of B and her father are a clear indication of this. It hence means that the management of these homes has failed to deal adequately with interracial relationships (Span 2011). The failing at the management level has meant that the entire system is founded on basis of racism. This is a bold statement to make, but it is easy to understand what it means when one assesses the case study above and comprehends the gaps that exist. At present, the deficient nature of the management of these homes makes them to be hubs for racism. This case study is taken from the United States, but the same factors that influence the sector are similar to those of the United Kingdom. Disruption of Care Castle (2010) contends that the provision of care for the elderly should be easily accessible since these are patients that require a specialized form of care. More importantly, the nature of the care should be superior. Therefore, the elderly in society should access care with ease and the nature of the care should be of high quality. B’s father is not in a position to acquire either as a result of ineffective management in the homes entrusted with providing care to this vulnerable lot. What the management does is that it disrupts the course of the provision of care to those who might need it. Jomo (2013) writes about the daily happenings within an elderly-care home, or rather “a place of death.” Jomo describes his role and that of his co-workers as providers of care in a place where people come to die. Their job is to provide care and allow for the journey of the patients to be successful. The most informative piece of the work has nonetheless been care to the elderly is pivotal. There are people Jomo has taken care of for years that do not have such a chance of survival outside the home. The inability of the management of these homes and disrupts the provision of essential care to individuals such as B’s father. Ignorant Management The issue of race does not seem like one to concern the management of an elderly-care home because it is not an area that is notable or outstanding. It is like running an organization in the present society, managers are less likely to pay attention to the issue of racism as it is not common and there are more important issues to deal with. When B asks about diversity as one of the homes, the director does not seem to comprehend what her concerns really are. The issue of racism is mainly perpetuated by the patients in it, or those like B and her father that would like the services provided. The management does not fail by nurturing racism, it fails by not doing more to restrict its practice. It is comprehensible to some extent as to why the management may not pay much interest to racism as it may not be the most important aspect of care provided to the elderly, but it is an influential factor to care and requires more attention (Nelson 2007). Recommendations The obvious recommendation is to end the racism that is present in many homes in the United Kingdom, but this can only be done by the completion of some processes. Amicable Approach to Patients The management has to take more control of people who enter their homes. Every individual has to undergo some form of tests before being taken up in the home and this is the initial stage that the homes can utilize to combat the vice. The ideal patient population within the home should reflect the outside society. For instance, the homes B visited were very likely to torment her father with racism since patients in it were predominantly of the same race. The management should make it an elderly society that reflects the society that is outside the walls of the home. This will in turn nurture an atmosphere like that of the outside world (Stone 2010). Care and Tutoring Most homes try to provide an array of activities that the elderly under their care can indulge in. some of these activities should include informative issues such as the demerits of racism, and how society has advanced past the vice. Encourage the Minority to Enrol The management can encourage individuals such as B’s father to be part of the home in order to keep its population diverse and racism free. There are ways in which racism can be defeated by nurturing an atmosphere that bleeds and embraces diversity to an extent the population becomes accustomed (Stone 2010). Diverse Management/Employees Finally, another approach that can be used to combat racism is that of showing them that everyone is equal by way of example. At the point where B’s father claimed that they were being viewed as employee because of their race is an indication that the home had adopted an approach of recruiting employees of a specific race to serve patients of another race. These are the divides that foster racism in undesirable ways. By having patients of different cultures and employees of the same kind, it is clear that racism would not find room in these homes (Arthur 2006). Conclusion The scope of elderly-care homes may be more inclined towards care than any other aspect, but the management has to be in a position to determine all the aspects that affect provision of care. This care does not necessarily have to be for those under the care of the home, but also those that need it such as B’s father. The homes that B had to turn away from have all failed to some extent to identify the fact that there is a correlation between care and race (Pauline 2013). The case study is one that is prevalent in most regions because of globalization. It is appropriate for the management to acknowledge the fact that there are more to their roles that the fulfillment of the observable objectives. The contemporary setup of the management incorporates roles such as social responsibility. The recommendations provided can go a long way to ensuring that racism in these homes is not a menace, but rather a part of history. References Arthur A, J., 2006. Principled Stands Against Racism. Race, Gender & Class, 13(1/2), pp. 108-123. Castle, N. G., 2010. What Is Nursing Home Quality and How Is It Measured? Gerontologist, 50(4), p. 426–442. Cramer, D. N., 2003. Undoing Racism in Social Work Practice. Race, Gender & Class, 10(2), pp. 41-57. Jomo, 2013. Caring on Stolen Time: A Nursing Home Diary. [Online] Available at: http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/caring-on-stolen-time-a-nursing-home-diary [Accessed 17 March 2014]. Macrae, F., 2012. Patronising elderly patients 'should be on par with racism': Report calls for 'major cultural shift' on caring. [Online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160846/Patronising-elderly-patients-par-racism-Report-calls-major-cultural-shift-caring.htm [Accessed 17 March 2014]. Nelson, T. E., 2007. Playing a Different Race Card: Examining the Limits of Elite Influence on Perceptions of Racism. The Journal of Politics, 69 (2), pp. 416-429. Pauline W, C., 2013. When the Patient Is Racist. [Online] Available at: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/when-the-patient-is-racist [Accessed 17 March 2014]. Span, P., 2011. Race Complicates Living Decisions. [Online] Available at: http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/how-race-complicates-care/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 [Accessed 17 March 2014]. Stone, R., 2008. The Origins of Better Jobs, Better Care. Gerontologist, 48(1), pp. 5-15. Stone, R., 2010. Improving The Long-Term Care Workforce Serving Older Adults. Health Affairs, 29(1), pp. 109-115. Read More