Language-concordant care linked to better end-of-life outcomes for Chinese-speaking long-term care residents
04/07/2025
Receiving care in language-concordant long-term care homes is associated with better end-of-life outcomes for Chinese-speaking older adults, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA).
The study compared health outcomes of Chinese-speaking residents in ethnocentric long-term care (LTC) homes, where they were likely to receive care in their primary language, versus non-ethnic homes across Ontario, Canada.
Researchers found Chinese-speaking residents receiving care in language-concordant homes were significantly less likely to report frequent and severe pain or to receive subcutaneous pain medication near end-of-life compared to non-Chinese-speaking residents in non-ethnic homes.
“There is a need for provision of culturally appropriate care that reflects our population’s ethnic diversity,” says Amy Hsu, PhD, Investigator at the Bruyère Health Research Institute and Lecturer in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Family Medicine. “Minoritized seniors who need long-term care services deserve to receive care in a home-like environment, surrounded by people who they can converse with and receive care that is aligned with their cultural values, and we can see there are significant health benefits to having cultural and language-concordant care, especially toward end-of-life.”
Findings also showed that Chinese-speaking residents had more hospitalizations in their last 90 days of life compared to non-Chinese-speaking residents, regardless of the language spoken in the home. Residents in ethnic Chinese LTC homes, regardless of their primary language, were also more likely to be hospitalized within the last three days of life, even after controlling for other health and demographic variables.
Chinese-speaking residents additionally had higher odds of dying in hospital compared to non-Chinese-speaking residents, in both language-concordant and language-discordant homes.
“Previous research does show higher rates of acute care use among Chinese individuals compared to the general population,” says lead author Prabasha Rasaputra, MSc, Research Assistant at Bruyère Health Research Institute. “This may be due to cultural reluctance to engage in advanced care planning, making a language-concordant care environment even more important, where residents can communicate effectively with health care providers.”
“End-of-life acute care use and pain-related outcomes in Chinese-speaking residents in Canadian long-term care homes” was published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Bruyère Health Research Institute conducts world-class research to maximize quality of life and shape the future health care. As part of an academic sciences centre, our research supports evidence-based care with a focus on aging and long-term care, palliative care, rehabilitation and recovery, and social accountability. To learn more, visit www.bruyere.org.
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This study was funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research and by Health Canada.