Multicultural End-of-Life Care : Case Studies : Cross-Cultural Communication Case Study

Natasha, a 45 year old Russian immigrant, had metastatic breast cancer. Her doctor determined that her cancer would no longer respond to chemotherapy, and told her (via an interpreter) that she was "terminal." He recommended that she go to a "hospice" facility. Following this her health quickly deteriorated. She later told her social worker, "When my daughter translated what 'terminal' meant and I realized that I was going to die, I felt the doctor killed me." She explained that a Russian doctor would never directly tell a patient she was going to die. His informing her directly was, to her, a death sentence. She also had no idea what the words "hospice" and "terminal" meant, but was afraid to ask.

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This content is provided by Access to End-of-Life Care, an organization devoted to bringing multiculturalism to end-of-life care. Visit our main web site at www.access2eolcare.org.