Intercultural communication in long-term care: The perspective of relatives from Switzerland

Due to globalization and the resulting diversity intercultural communication is increasingly coming to the fore. In addition, long-term care is mainly staffed with caregivers who have a migration background, which makes successful intercultural communication all the more important. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to define recommendations by interviewing relatives which can be used to promote intercultural communication in long-term care with regard to relationship building.

A qualitative explorative content analysis, which follows the content-structuring method with an inductive approach. The semi-structured guided individual interviews were conducted with relatives (n = 14) of residents from two retirement centers in Switzerland.

Four categories were defined: "Perceive communication as a need", "Consider the desire for recognition of relatives", "Promote readiness of caregivers", and "Know opportunities and challenges in intercultural communication".

Intercultural communication means being aware of the significance of culture and one's own origins in order to recognize the peculiarities of the counterpart and to interact sensitively with them. Relatives want to be actively involved when nurses reach their limits in communication and interaction. Relatives want safe care that is based on empathy. When nurses show concern towards others in a person-centered way and are aware of where they come from, this can promote trust and contribute significantly to supporting communication and interaction between cultures.