Maintaining a Sense of Self Through Cultural Identity in Dementia Care

For individuals with dementia, the loss of cognitive abilities can often lead to a sense of confusion, disorientation, and emotional distress. One of the most important aspects of dementia care is preserving the person’s sense of self, which can significantly help to reduce anxiety and maintain emotional well-being.

One powerful way to achieve this is by preserving cultural identity. Cultural traditions, values, and practices provide individuals with a sense of belonging and continuity, especially as they face cognitive decline.

Cultural identity preservation for emotional grounding can offer individuals with dementia a solid foundation to maintain their self-worth and emotional stability.

By connecting with their cultural heritage, people living with dementia can draw strength and comfort from their identity, helping them feel grounded despite changes. This can be especially beneficial when they may struggle with remembering personal details or experiences.

Platforms like Evaheld allow families to document and preserve their loved ones’ cultural traditions, ensuring these important aspects of identity remain accessible and respected in care routines.

Why Cultural Identity Matters in Dementia Care

According to Advance Care Planning Australia, maintaining a person’s cultural identity is essential for preserving their emotional well-being and ensuring person-centred care:

• Reinforces emotional security: When individuals with dementia are able to engage with their cultural heritage, they experience a sense of comfort and continuity, which can reduce feelings of anxiety or confusion
• Promotes dignity and self-worth: Preserving cultural identity helps individuals feel valued and respected, even when other cognitive abilities are diminishing
• Strengthens personal identity: When individuals can engage with familiar cultural practices, it reinforces their sense of who they are and helps them retain a stronger sense of self
• Enhances emotional grounding: Cultural traditions and practices provide an emotional anchor, offering familiar routines and activities that promote stability and reduce stress

Dementia Support Australia highlights the significant role that cultural practices and heritage play in enhancing the quality of life for people with dementia, as these practices allow them to feel connected to their past and their community.

How Cultural Identity Preservation Enhances

Emotional Grounding

Preserving cultural identity through various practices can offer several psychological and emotional benefits:

• Fostering belonging: Engaging in cultural practices allows individuals with dementia to feel connected to their community, family, and heritage
• Encouraging reminiscence: Sharing stories, music, or traditions can trigger positive memories and facilitate reminiscence, creating moments of joy and engagement
• Creating consistency and routine: Involving individuals in familiar cultural rituals helps maintain a sense of structure and predictability, reducing confusion
• Connecting with spirituality: Many cultural practices are deeply connected to spirituality, which can offer comfort, meaning, and peace to individuals during challenging times
• Reducing feelings of isolation: Connecting with cultural identity can help individuals feel less isolated, even when their cognitive abilities decline, by providing a shared sense of purpose and tradition

Family Legacy Series recommends that families integrate cultural preservation into dementia care plans to help the individual stay emotionally grounded and emotionally engaged.

Step-by-Step: How to Preserve Cultural Identity in Dementia Care

1. Incorporate Cultural Rituals and Traditions into Care Plans

Start by identifying the key cultural rituals, celebrations, or practices that have been significant throughout the individual’s life:

• Religious practices: If the person follows a specific faith, include religious rituals such as prayer, meditation, or attending services in their care routine
• Cultural celebrations: Include significant cultural holidays or family traditions, such as birthdays, weddings, or national holidays
• Traditional music or dance: Engage the person in listening to or participating in traditional songs, dances, or performances that are meaningful to them

Evaheld provides a platform for documenting these practices, ensuring they are respected and included in the care plan, even as the person’s cognitive abilities decline.

2. Engage in Meaningful Storytelling and Reminiscence

Storytelling is a powerful way to connect individuals with their cultural heritage and provide emotional grounding:

• Encourage the person to share personal stories about their cultural background, family traditions, or memorable experiences
• Use photos or mementoes from their past to help trigger conversations about their life, culture, and community
• Ask open-ended questions like, “Can you tell me about your family’s traditions during the holidays?” or “What was your favourite dish growing up?”

Advance Care Planning Australia suggests using oral history techniques to preserve these cultural stories, which can become an invaluable resource for future generations.

3. Create Cultural Rituals in the Care Setting

Cultural rituals can be incorporated into daily routines to provide emotional consistency and grounding:

• Religious rituals: Include prayers, blessings, or spiritual readings that the individual is familiar with
• Food traditions: Prepare and share traditional meals or recipes that the person enjoys or that hold sentimental value
• Crafts or artwork: Encourage participation in cultural crafts or art forms that are part of the individual’s heritage, fostering creativity and engagement

Nurse Info suggests that these activities help enhance engagement and reduce stress by offering familiar and comforting routines that align with the person’s cultural identity.

4. Utilise Music and Art from Their Cultural Background

Music and art are powerful tools for emotional connection:

• Play traditional music that the person enjoyed or that holds cultural significance to them
• Create art projects based on cultural traditions, such as painting, weaving, or sculpture, which can provide a sense of accomplishment and emotional expression
• Involve family members in these activities, allowing the individual to share their cultural knowledge and engage in intergenerational bonding

Evaheld enables families to track and store cultural preferences and legacy projects, ensuring that these moments of connection remain accessible and honoured.

5. Share and Celebrate Cultural Heritage with Family and Community

Involve the family in the process of preserving cultural identity:

• Organise family events or gatherings where cultural traditions and stories can be shared
• Encourage family members to document the person’s cultural knowledge, such as recipes, stories, or customs, ensuring that these traditions are passed down
• Use virtual platforms to connect with distant relatives or community members who can share in the person’s cultural experiences and traditions

Family Legacy Series recommends that families regularly revisit these traditions, ensuring that cultural identity remains central in dementia care.

Supporting the Sandwich Generation

For adult children balancing caregiving with work and family:

• Evaheld allows caregivers to document cultural practices and create legacy projects, ensuring that cultural traditions are passed down and respected
• Use digital tools to share cultural memories and practices with extended family members or remote caregivers, fostering connection and consistency in care

Online Will Blog encourages families to incorporate cultural heritage into their advance care planning, ensuring that cultural practices are part of the care plan and respected throughout the dementia journey.

In Residential and Home Care Settings

Ensure carers:

• Are trained in respecting cultural practices and incorporating them into care routines
• Engage in cultural activities that the individual enjoys, such as singing, prayer, or art, to maintain emotional grounding
• Create a cultural care plan that includes specific rituals, meals, music, or stories that reflect the individual’s heritage

Dementia Support Australia provides resources on how carers can integrate cultural preservation into dementia care, ensuring that the person’s emotional and cultural needs are met with respect and understanding.

Final Thoughts

Preserving cultural identity is an essential aspect of dementia care, providing individuals with the emotional grounding, dignity, and sense of self they need during times of change.

By incorporating cultural rituals, stories, and traditions into daily care routines, caregivers can help individuals with dementia feel connected to their heritage and community, fostering emotional stability and well-being.

With Evaheld, families can document and share cultural preferences, ensuring that these important aspects of identity are respected and integrated into the care plan for the individual’s journey with dementia.