title: [A Reflection on the Policy of Transcultural Long-Term Care for the Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan].
abstract: Giving high-profile attention to socio-cultural and traditional beliefs in the promotion of long-term care policies enjoys strong, consensus support in the field of transcultural nursing. To protect the rights of indigenous people in Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare incorporated the concept of cultural care into the Long-term Care Services Act, which was approved by the Legislature in May 2014. However, the policies, resource strategies, manpower allocations, and staff educations and trainings related to this act are still await implementation in indigenous areas. Beyond the concept of professional healthcare, which considers cultural sensitivity, suitability, and ability, cultural care gives greater priority to crossing cultural barriers, integrating with the lifestyle of clients, and addressing their concerns in order to improve the well-being of target populations. The present article reviews current long-term care policy to highlight the importance of considering the cultural needs of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan in order to enhance the efficiency and impact of long-term care programs. Furthermore, the findings strongly recommend that additional resources be provided in order to meet the long-term care needs of indigenous communities. Finally, cultural-specific, long-term care service strategies should be promulgated in order to upgrade well-being in order to ease and comfort the feelings of indigenous people.
authors.affiliation: PhD, RN, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Yi-Maun
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Subeq
authors.affiliation: PhD, Professor and Vice-Chancellor, Department of Human Development and Psychology, Tzu Chi University, Taiwan, ROC. mutsu@mail.tcu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Mutsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013624:Taiwan; D016746:Transcultural Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
keywords: cultural congruency; indigenous groups; long-term care policy; transcultural care