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Talking points for practitioners interested in working with Latinos.

Submitted by Diana Merrigan, Diversity Commission Student Rep.

1. Never assume all Latinos are the same. Every country, state and community has different traditions, values and expectations. As an example, some communities of Mexico eat tamales for Christmas, but in my family we never had tamales for Christmas and I never saw any of my family members making tamales.  People tend to assume I eat tamales for Christmas and that I also know how to make tamales because I am Mexican.

2. Latinos inherit many traditions, rituals and healing habits from the pre-Hispanic culture, (before the Spanish conquest).  After we were conquered by the Spaniards a combination of religion, spiritual believes, traditions and healing was formed from the fusion of cultures. In certain communities of Mexico, Central and South America there are people that still visit a shaman for spiritual advice and healing purposes.

3. Mexican people in my community like to auto prescribe themselves and others. If they had a good result from a certain medicine or home remedy and they encounter someone else with the same symptoms they will recommend that medicine. Most medicines in Mexico don’t need a medical prescription to be sold.

4. Some Mexican people think hot and cold don’t go together. If you are hot, don’t drink ice water and don’t walk without shoes because the floor is too cold. After a person finishes ironing they cannot take a shower or wash their hands, because the body gets warm.  That’s what many grandmas usually say. I lived in Honduras for a year and in the community where I lived people believed that if it was raining and they didn’t have an umbrella they had to cover their head other wise they would have a headache later.

5. In the Hispanic communityit is not uncommon for a patient who is grateful for services received from medical personal to bring a gift as a demonstration of their gratitude.

 

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What I learned while working with Latino patients

Submitted by Glori Hinck

La Familia (the family) is of the utmost importance.  You typically do not treat a patient in isolation, the entire family is involved.  Involve the spouse and other family members in any decision-making processes and explain the treatment plan to the family.

Health care providers are treated with respect by Hispanic patients and if they understand your treatment recommendations they are very likely to follow them.

You will likely be invited to a family function or fiesta and may be given gifts periodically.  Have a plan in mind as to how you will handle these situations.

Many latino patients in the twin cities do not have insurance.  Plan how to deal with this… extended payment plans, discounted rates, less reliance on x-ray or MRI.  Find out what safety net is available in your community for the uninsured in case you need to recommend extensive or invasive treatments.

Top words you need to know:

• De lado- lie on your side
• Izqierda(o)- left
• Derecha(o)- right
• Boca arriba- mouth up
• Boca abajo- mouth down
• Gracias- thank you
• Hola- hello
• Como esta- How are you?
• Bien- good   Muy bien- very good
• Te duelle- where do you hurt?
• El dolor de cabeza- headache
• El cuello- neck
• La espalda- back
• La cintura- low back

Grammar and pronunciation don’t matter.  If you speak broken Spanish your patient will be much more likely to use their English.  And believe me, their English is much better than your Spanish.

Be conscious of immigration issues.  Patients may be evasive regarding phone numbers, addresses etc.  Even illegal immigrants have rights if injured on the job or in a motor vehicle collision.

According to the American Diabetes Association, ~25% of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans in the US between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes

Hire a front desk person who speaks Spanish and treats your patients with respect.

Many patient education materials are available in Spanish and are appreciated by your patients.

Be prepared to be a trouble shooter for health related and other issues effecting your patients….. but, be prepared to set limits on what you will do.

• Custody battles
• Divorce battles
• Anything to do with the government or court
• Medical assistance/general assistance

The categories of Latino or Hispanic encompass many, many different ethnicities and cultures all with their own flavor and differences regarding health care.