In the fifth in a series of stories into Canada’s aging population, CTV News focuses on the need for cultural sensitivity in elder care. For the story, they interviewed Izumi Niki and Ito Peng. Izumi is a PhD student at the University of Toronto. She is pursuing research in senior care under the supervision of Professor Peng and is a research assistant on the Care Economies in Context project. The following is an excerpt from the story. Read the full article on the CTV website here.
Is Canada ready for an increasingly diverse senior population? Here’s what health experts say
Dec 18, 2023
…CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE CARE IN ACTION
…From a health perspective, it is “absolutely important” to provide older Canadians with culturally sensitive care that is personal to them, said Ito Peng, a professor of sociology at the University of Toronto and a Canada Research Chair in global social policy. This is done by taking into account their language and cultural background, as well as the kind of assumptions they may have around how care should be provided and who should provide it, she said.
One of her PhD students currently works at Yee Hong Centre(opens in a new tab), a facility that provides Chinese and Japanese residents with culturally appropriate long-term care. Built in 2004, the Yee Hong Centre’s Scarborough Finch site has 250 beds for Chinese and Japanese residents, and offers 24-hour care for patients with severe health conditions.
As a recreation worker at the centre’s Scarborough Finch location in Toronto, Izumi Niki organizes different activities in Chinese, Japanese and English, some of which are planned around major holidays such as Lunar New Year…
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