nursing care. In regard to culture care preservation and
maintenance, given the context of the situation, our staff
learned and gave maximum respect to the family and their
Amish culture. Culture care accommodation and negotiation
were met in allowing for extended visiting privileges
and eventually moving Jacob into a private pediatric room
with more liberal visitation, with beds for the family to
sleep in the same room and an environment more appropriate
for his development. In cultural care repatterning
and restructuring, we worked with the family to develop a
system that would work with Jacob’s home care with as
much respect to Amish ways and values as possible.
I was initially quite nervous about providing care to
this Amish family because I knew little about their faith
and Amish culture. However, as a result of my caring and
genuine interest in their culture, over time I was able to
provide many aspects of culturally sensitive and congruent
care. In the NICU, we often have children that we
care for on a long-term basis and their families who we
think we will never forget. There are so many turnovers,
however, that we rely on one another to remember names
and particular situations. Jacob and his family made an
unforgettable impression on me. He came so close to
death and now is full of life. Although I no longer have
opportunities to care for him, I still see them occasionally
at the hospital. The family updates me on Jacob’s
progress, and I feel that a bond has been formed between
me (and other hospital staff) and this family. Two cultures
separated partly by distance, but more so by life
ways, combined their universalities and diversities and
met in the center for a child’s survival.