Culture and the service user's experience - Essay Example

Mrs. B is a 72-year old immigrant from India. She has recently joined her son after retiring from her work in one of India’s leading banks. Mrs. B’s son is a tenant in our neighborhood and he recently transferred to the hospital that I was placed in, taking a position in the hospital’s IT department. We have been acquainted for several months now and I have met his mother on several occasions. It is for this reason why I have chosen Mrs. B as my subject fore this study. She is comfortable with me perhaps because I have taken a strong interest in her cultural traditions.

We have had several insightful conversations about matters such as food, yoga and Indian religious practices. I felt that the study is no more intrusive than these conversations and Mrs. B and her son approved of the whole undertaking. I was able to get a hold of her medical record and have thoroughly studied it before proceeding with my interview. Mrs. B is obese, deeply religious but very pleasant. About a month ago, she was admitted to the hospital due to fatigue, blurry vision, numbness and noticeable weakness in her body. Mrs. B’s son initially thought that his mother’s complaints were due to stress and difficulties in adjusting to a new cultural environment. Mrs. B believed that she is being punished for some previous sin.

But the obvious discomfort led them to the hospital, wherein she was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. According to Margaret Andrews and Joyceen Boyle (2007), cultural beliefs and values influence health promotion, disease prevention, and the treatment of illness. (p. 154) This is because once an illness has social connotations the issues become more complex. It is common for cultural groups to have a body of knowledge and beliefs about health and disease. But the cultural influence on healthcare beliefs and practices has its positive and negative effects.