In-Home Chinese Speaking Caregivers for Canada’s Seniors

As the demand for private home care for the elderly in Canada grows so has the demand for chinese home care services. The demand for trained Chinese speaking caregivers is especially great in major cities such as Toronto and Vancouver, where there are considerable populations of elderly Chinese Canadians experiencing age-related health conditions. This trend is expected to continue.

Сhinese home care services in Canada are uniquely positioned to provide comfort, understanding, and trust to their elderly clients by leveraging their cultural background and shared language. Studies have found that elderly individuals who receive care from caregivers with similar language backgrounds experience greater satisfaction as there is more effective communication between clients and care provider. The ideal Chinese speaking caregiver is a kind, caring, compassionate, senior/family friendly home care professional who has worked in or immigrating from a Chinese speaking country, speaks the Chinese language and is familiar with Chinese culture and traditions. Caregivers can be immigrants who have Canadian working visas, or they can be first or second generation, Chinese Canadians. First generation Chinese Canadians are those that were born abroad and migrated to Canada at a young age. They are typically the children of parents who moved to Canada for entrepreneurial, work or education opportunities. These individuals often share experiences of being bilingual, speaking both English and Chinese. Second generation Chinese Canadians are those born in Canada to one or more parents born outside of Canada have two cultural identities. Proud to be Canadian but struggling with Chinese language fluency within their Chinese community. Many ‘second generation’ Chinese Canadians speak Chinese language with their parents but may not be able to read or write Chinese. A significant proportion of ‘first’ and ‘second’ generation Chinese are found employed in health care related fields such as doctors, nurses, therapists, acupuncturists, home and community care workers, laboratory technicians, or as owners of grocery stores and Chinese restaurants. Even without the ability to read and write Chinese language, just having the ability to speak the Chinese language uniquely positions a Chinese health care professional to become a provider of culture-sensitive care to the elderly Chinese Canadian community.

Cultural Competence of Chinese Speaking Caregivers

To effectively care for Chinese seniors, caregivers must have an appreciation of the Chinese culture and things Chinese. In Chinese culture, the concept of ‘face’ refers to an individual’s “dignity” or “prestige” so, ‘saving face’ means to keep others from losing respect for you or to avoid embarrassment. For many elderly Chinese the increasing loss of mobility and increasing reliance on a caregiver to assist with eating, personal care and home management is embarrassing and ‘face losing’. Knowing this, a Chinese speaking caregiver will endeavor to empower their in-home elderly clients within the confines of their personal space by expressing interest in their life story and accomplishments, demonstrate compassion, instead of criticizing, observe Chinese etiquette and behave respectfully and professional at all times.

Language Skills of Chinese Speaking Caregivers

Chinese is not easy to learn. It is a tonal language, meaning that a single word may have multiple meanings depending on how it is pronounced. For example, the word ‘ma’ can mean "scold", "linen", "horse", or "mother" depending on the tone used by the speaker.

Chinese families prefer to hire caregivers who are fluent in spoken Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese language so they can communicate with their elderly loved ones who are more comfortable to speak in their Chinese mother tongue. Other Chinese dialects spoken in Canada are Hakka, Fukien, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, and Taishanese. Each dialect has its own unique and distinct linguistic characteristics and cultural nuances. Mandarin speaking Chinese usually come from Northern China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. As Mandarin is China’s official language it is used by politicians, the international media and for conducting business around the world. Cantonese language originated in Southern China’s Guandong Province and is spoken in the cities of Guanzhou, Hong Kong and Macau and by many Chinese across Canada. Chinese who speak Hakka are Hakka people from the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. Fukien dialect which is characterized by complex tones and subtle differences in pronunciation is spoken by Chinese people from China’s Fujian province and Fukien Chinese communities in the Phillipines. Shanghainese is associated with Chinese from Shanghai and in Jiangsu Province. Shanghainese is a challenging language for non-native speakers as it features 12 distinct tones and multiple changes in inflections. Taishanese is spoken by Chinese from Taishan in Guangdong province. Like Cantonese and Hakka, Taishanese contains distinct tones that make it difficult to learn. Taiwanese is spoken by Chinese people from Taiwan, southern parts of mainland China and Southeast Asia- it’s use of a lot of vowels differentiates it substantially from other Chinese dialects.
Given the tonal challenges associated with the Chinese language, it is no wonder Chinese families in Canada prefer having Chinese speaking caregivers care for their elderly loved ones.

Cultural Perspectives of Chinese Working and Living in Canada

Caregivers who speak and understand the Chinese language use their personal cultural insights to inform the in-home care they provide to their Chinese clients. They will have the capacity to be empathetic and sympathetic as they share migration histories similar to the histories of their clients. Chinese Canadian culture in Canada is immigration driven and associated primarily with country of origin. Toronto and Vancouver are home to one of the largest communities of Chinese people outside Asia. Chinese immigrants include those who immigrated from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan. Chinese in Toronto came from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Other ethnic Chinese immigrants came from the Caribbean, Korea, South Africa, and South America. Chinese immigration to Canada began in the 1850’s with Chinese migrants coming from California and China work in mining during the days of the BC Gold Rush days, and in 1871 to build the railway from BC to Eastern Canada and in the mid-20th century, from Hong Kong with subsequent waves coming from Mainland China and Taiwan as entrepreneurs or to work as laborers in restaurants. The Chinese Canadian community in the Greater Toronto Area was established around 1877, with an initial population of two laundry owners but dramatically grew beginning in the late 1960s due to changes in immigration law and political issues in Hong Kong. Chinese seniors who moved to Canada from Hong Kong when they were young left a densely populated city characterized by a rapidly moving culture that blends traditional Chinese values and modern influences. Chinese seniors who settled in Canada to escape Communism left a then rural Mainland China that is now a heavily industrialized nation. Although far from their native homelands of origin, many overseas Chinese still follow the Chinese traditions of returning home for the annual Chinese New Year celebration, visiting the elderly, respect of elders and ancestral worship, and keeping fit with daily routine exercise such as Tai Chi. In contrast, Chinese seniors who left Taiwan left a country which has one of the highest life expectancies worldwide that is perceived today as being a “senior” and “family” friendly aging country. Vietnamese Chinese have a long history in Canada dating back to the late 1970s when thousands of refugees sought asylum following the Vietnam War. Cultural practices centering around humility, restraint, modesty, as well as ancestral worship, lunar new year celebrations and traditional Lunar New Year foods are still honored by Vietnamese Chinese Canadians. Today, the Singaporean Chinese community in Canada though small, have been a presence in Canada since the end of World War II when many immigrants from Singapore emigrated to Canada in search of a better life. Chinese Singaporeans that settled in Canada took up professions as medical doctors, accountants, engineers, and architects but like other overseas Chinese Canadians continue to stay connected with Chinese culture and traditions through networks of benevolent non-profit cultural associations.

Other Desirable Skills for Chinese-Speaking Caregivers

Chinese-speaking home care workers provide a unique set of skills and understanding to those who need support in their homes. Providing the best care for clients who have traditional Chinese family values requires the ability to speak in the preferred Chinese language, effective non-verbal communication skill, an understanding of filial piety customs and how one should behave.

Culture-sensitive Chinese speaking caregivers know that non-verbal communication such as facial expression, gestures and body language is an important aspect of Chinese culture. To precisely understand what someone is trying to say, attention must be paid to a person’s non-verbal such as posture, expression and tone of voice and frequently clarifying what is said to understand the person’s true underlying message. Personal space is important as Chinese people generally do not touch people during conversation unless it is to a family member, close friend, or a partner. Close friends or the same gender may stand or sit close to one another or walk arm in arm. They will avoid touching during conversation unless it is to a family member, close friend or a partner. Indirect eye contact is considered a sign of politeness, lowering one’s gaze when speaking to someone older and the appropriate use of silence is considered a sign of respect. Direct eye contact is more common in casual conversation, as well as arguments. Pointing with one’s index finger is not considered rude. Beckoning is done by facing the palm of one’s hand to the ground and waving one’s fingers towards oneself. Whistling, displaying the soles of one’s feet, using one’s feet to move something or putting one’s feet on furniture is considered rude. ‘No’ is indicated by waving the hand in front of one’s face. Shrugging your shoulders and winking is not well understood and may be interpreted negatively.

Filial piety towards elders and ancestors is practiced in everyday life and involves showing respect through forms such as deference, proper speech, appropriate clothing and behavior.

Consideration should be given to caregiver and client gender, which can vary from Western standards. Typically, it is acceptable for men to speak louder than a woman, but a loud woman is considered bad mannered.

Chinese-friendly Care Plan Considerations

Depression along with chronic and age-related diseases such as stroke, heart disease, chronic lung disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and arthritis are common among elderly Chinese. In addition to assisting with grooming, toileting, and bathing, light housekeeping to maintain a clutter and barrier free personal space, in-home caregiver responsibilities may include escorting the client to a dentist, doctor, optometrist, or acupuncturist, assisting clients to take scheduled prescription medications, shopping for Chinese herbal medicine and groceries, preparing nutritious, traditional Chinese meals with dietary restrictions or that include classic Chinese comfort foods such as barbecue duck and crispy roast pork, accompanying client to the park for daily Tai Chi exercises or to dim sum lunch, family gatherings, and lunar new year celebrations.

Finding Employment as a Chinese Speaking Home Care Provider

Asian Caregivers is a values-focused company that was established with a mission to connect a caring community of Asian language caregivers with clients seeking at home care for themselves or loved ones. Asian Caregivers envisions its online platform www.asiancaregivers.ca will become the virtual meeting place of choice where sincere, reliable, trustworthy culture-sensitive caregivers can promote themselves and provide the best care to the elderly who have embraced the choice to live at home.

Asian Caregivers understands how important it is to pair Chinese speaking in-home workers with compatible Chinese clients. To find a job as a Chinese Speaking home care worker, personal support worker, or housekeeper join the Asian Caregivers online community. Please visit the Asian Caregivers platform and register for free now! https://www.asiancaregivers.ca/register_caregivers?caregivers/1