Cross-cultural comparison of long-term care in the U.S. and Finland: Research done through a short-term study abroad experience
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
In May of 2014 a short-term study abroad experience was conducted in Finland through a course offered at Indiana State University (ISU). Students and faculty from both ISU and Eastern Illinois University participated in the experience, which was created to facilitate a cross-cultural comparison of long-term care settings in the U.S. and Finland. Long recognized for its outstanding system of caring for the health and social needs of its aging populace, Finland is a logical model to examine when considering ways to improve the quality of life for older adults in the U.S. who require care. Those participating in the course visited a series of long-term care facilities in the region surrounding ISU, including a senior activity center, independent living senior apartments, an adult day center, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The group then travelled to Lappeenranta, Finland to visit parallel sites. This qualitative research study involved limited-participation observation and brief, semi-structured interviews with staff at the various facilities regarding what works well and what challenges each site faces. Results indicate that financial concerns and implementing meaningful activities are the most prominent concerns at facilities in the U.S., while their Finnish counterparts reported struggling to address depression and loneliness among their older adult population. Long-term care employees in both countries indicated a love of their career choice and challenges balancing care for family members and care provided through work. There appears to be a difference in the locus of responsibility for challenges, with those in the U.S. identifying external sources (e.g., we don’t get enough funding from Medicare) and those in Finland identifying internals sources (e.g., we have limited time to do our jobs, but we work well as a team). Policy and cultural differences that underlie these distinctions will be examined, and suggestions for meaningful activities observed in Finland will be shared. We will also discuss ideas for future research to build on this cross-cultural comparison.
