Cure Ailments in Cuban Culture - Essay Example

"Cure Ailments in Cuban Culture" is a great example of a paper on social and family issues. In the case, Mrs. Demetilla Hernandez who is 63 years old and widowed has been seeking medical attention due to weakness, fatigue, and lethargy that she has been experiencing over the past two months. She is a widow and stays with her daughter where she helps with household duties. She recently slipped on the kitchen floor, fell, and sustained a bruise on her leg and her daughter insisted on taking her to the hospital for a checkup. She was then diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The physician prescribed a drug, exercise, and diet observance but she preferred traditional medicine and insisted that her diet was healthy. This discussion explores the case, with the aim of helping Mrs. Demetilla attain quality health.  

Typical Cuban Communication Patterns I need to be aware of in Dealing with Mrs. Hernandez

Simpatia is one of the typical Cuban communication patterns of which I should be aware, and it defines the need for good interpersonal relations through such attributes as respect and courtesy. Personalismo and photo are other significant communication patterns in Cuban culture. Personalismo puts emphasis on relationships, as opposed to rules and positions. Photo, however, means a positive attitude. Understanding the patterns is important because they identify and help in managing cultural barriers to communicating with the patient (Purnell, 2012, pp. 200). 

How I would assist Mrs. Hernandez in developing a plan for a 1500-calorie diet and regular exercise

I would assist Mrs. Hernandez by educating her on the benefits of the plan and equipping her with the necessary skills and information for developing the plan. I would also inform her that the 1500-calorie diet plan should include the identity of selected foods, amount of calories per unit of the food, the total amount of calorie for the food, and the total amount of calories for each meal while the exercise plan should include the type of exercise, duration of exercise, and frequency of exercise. The role of a mastery approach to motivation explains this (Dysvik and Kuvaas, 2013, pp. 419, 420).

Encouraging Mrs. Hernandez to go to the botanica to purchase some drugs and my strategy to approaching her desire for herbs instead of a prescribed medicine

I would not encourage Mrs. Hernandez to go to botanica for some drugs but would instead discourage her. This is because traditional medicines are not regulated and take a long time before achieving the desired objectives (Tian, 2015, pp. 1).   

My approach to her desire to use herbs would involve educating her on the advantages of modern medicines and the disadvantages of herbs. The efficiency difference between the two types of medicine would be my focus and I would incorporate the three major Cuban communication patterns in my discussion with her, to ensure effective communication and influence (Purnell, 2012, pp. 200).  

Common folk practices that Cuban families may use to maintain health or cure common ailments

Common fork practices that Cuban families may apply include medicinal plants, “ointments, oils, powders, incenses, and religious figurines” besides the use of ornaments and animals (Purnell, 2012, pp. 210). Special shops exist for selling the commodities but in order to meet the patient’s needs, I would persuade her and insist that she uses modern medicine because these offer the best utility.

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