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There is only one nurse on my Mom's floor who speaks Spanish n it's not even her first language. Most people speak Creole. They cannot communicate with her n she can't with them. It's very frustrating!!

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It does sound as if you're going to have to use the Federal law to find someone who can communicate well with your mother. With our much more diverse culture comes complications with language but these language barriers must be accommodated. We see it in hospitals and nursing homes that receive any Federal funding should also be held to this standard. Please let us know how you and your mother are doing.
Carol
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Oh really? Read this Medicaid regulation to him"
"Interpretive Guidelines §483.10(b)(3)
“Total health status” includes functional status, medical care, nursing care, nutritional status, rehabilitation and restorative potential, activities potential, cognitive status, oral health status, psychosocial status, and sensory and physical impairments. Information on health status must be presented in language that the resident can understand. This includes minimizing use of technical jargon in communicating with the resident, having the ability to communicate in a foreign language and the use of sign language or other aids, as necessary."
Then ask him how he intends to comply with the federal government. Let us know how that goes.
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I Agree with "TooYoungForThis" I am Spanish, and I never put my mother in a nursing home because she did not speak English. She came to the country too old to learn, so it was my obligation to keep her at home because I knew I could not ask for the nursing homes to have staff that speak Spanish. It is our obligation as the children of older Spanish Seniors to find other ways to keep our parents in a place where they are comfortable and taken care of, for me it was my house and I hired a PSW that speak Spanish. It is not the obligation of this country to make sure that every one speak Spanish to be able to communicate with us, many time it is the fact that so many places offers translators that holds Spanish people from learning English.
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I'm not exactly sure what you want. What kind of "accommodation" do you want? Do you want every staff member whose primary language is Spanish? A facility is not required to have every staff member speak 8 languages to accommodate the patients & comply with Federal Law. In fact, no employees have to speak a second language at all, as long as they know how to speak, read & write English. What the Federal law means is that the facility must have access to a person to act as an interpreter and/or access to a language bank in situations where necessary, like emergency departments when trying to communicate with people that don't speak English. I won't even get into why your mother doesn't speak enough English to be able to communicate with nursing staff, but that's another story. I think your expectation that the nursing staff speak Spanish---especially as their primary language---is entirely misplaced here. The facility is in America, right? The primary language in America is English.

I'm sorry, but people living in a country where English is the primary language cannot expect others to learn their customary language because they refuse to learn how to speak English. If you live in America, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to speak English. How long has your mother lived here? If you want your mother to be in a place where everyone speaks Spanish, you should think about putting her in a facility in Puerto Rico or Central America. Perhaps you can hire a private duty nurse or nurses' aide who speaks fluent Spanish to be able to act as an interpreter between your mother & the staff.
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I know my comment does not address the problem directly, but I have found another solution for my wife (age 63). I met and married her in Cuernavaca, Mexico 42 years ago and she still has family there. Since I can't possibly afford long term care in the US, I placed her in a deluxe facility in Cuernavaca at a cost of less than $800 a month. She gets food she is accustomed to eating, round-the-clock care in her native language, a perfect climate for being outdoors and exercise, and she is making friends with the other patients -- something she could NEVER do in the US. The separation from her has been agony, but she is much better off and happier than ANY place in the US -- and I don't have to go bankrupt providing for her. I myself will never seek long term care in the US. It's only for rich people or those who have spent themselves into poverty; it's a disgrace.
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type into Google “42 CFR 483,” and start getting facts.
you would be surprised how effective Federal law is when properly cited during discussions with facility administrators and staff.
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Allfor, is the problem mostly that staff can't understand what mom wants, or that mom can't understand what staff is saying to her? agreed that there should be real at ion staff available, but in the short term, how about this..and know that I use this with my mom lingual enlist speaking mom...an index card that says "call my daughter" with my phone number. A card that says " I'm in pain" a card that says "I need to use the bathroom". My mother has had a stroke and has aphasia. She has some speech but not when she's upset. We've found cards like these to be a real boon.
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I would talk with the Director of Nursing again and mention that it is a requirement of Medicaid to speak in her language. If she does not offer a follow up timeline ask for one. Be professional but firm. Then find an attorney if they do not meet the timeline. If you can't afford an attorney call your county agency on aging and they ca help you find an inexpensive or pro bono
Attorney to write a letter. Most Churches have an attorney in the congregation you can also ask at church. The letter from an attorney will get them moving.
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I placed my mom in ALF in April 2014. Before her dementia she spoke fluent English even though Spanish was her native language. Earlier in her illness I noticed she was speaking less and less English. Her MD stated she would eventually not be able to speak it at all. Strangely, she understands when being spoken to in English so the staff at the ALF are able to deal with her the majority of the time. They are quite nice and seem to be taken with her, saying she is a sweetheart (what, my mother? really?) Yes. They love her! anyway there have only been a few occasions where they had to call me to try to see what was wrong with her, but even with a Spanish speaker on staff she could still not understand what my mom wanted. It turns out, i couldn't either. It's the old dragon, nasty, hateful, thieving, horrible, Alzheimer!
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Nana came to the US at age 20, and her American (sorry but it's not English) was very good until her stroke at 93. She reverted back to Italian, and she even had trouble with that. By 96 she gave up trying to find words. Be patient will ALL of the elders, language is evolving daily. I still can't speak or read fluent internet texts.
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