Religious Influences on the Experience of Family Carers of People with Dementia in a British Pakistani Muslim Community

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that begins to address the paucity of research around the religious motivations of Muslim carers of family members with dementia. Seven carers were recruited for interviews from the British Pakistani Muslim community concentrated in the Midlands and North of England. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically using an iterative collaborative methodology. The findings suggested that the Muslim faith plays a pivotal role as a support mechanism for individual carers and their families, but the wider faith community and its leaders did not typically offer support and could impede access to external care. This was a result of cultural pressure and lack of awareness both among religious leaders and the community as a whole. The study concluded that the inequality in access to dementia services may be constructively addressed if service providers engage with these faith concerns in the community and religious leaders to meet the needs of Muslims of British Pakistani origin.

Exploration of Dementia Help Seeking Behaviours Amongst UK South Asian Communities: A Systematic Review

“…Of the 10 papers, two [56,57] focused on novice SA communities who had no prior experience with dementia whereas all other papers explored South Asian carers experiences. Three papers explored Bangladeshi participants [56,58,59]; one each explored Indian [60] and Pakistani [61] participants, whereas the remaining explored either a combination or did not specify which South Asian countries [10,57,62,63].…”

“…Nearly all papers found participants were not aware of dementia [56,60,61], especially during the early stages of the illness: "With my dad, I didn't realise. Because he had never been diagnosed with dementia."…”

Commonalities and Differences in the Experiences of Visible Minority Transnational Carer–Employees: A Qualitative Study

“…Notably, the religious and cultural belief systems of these four cultural cohorts emphasize the importance of caring for and helping those in need, especially family members [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Even though the rise in globalization has heightened the influence of Western culture, many individuals of Pakistani, Syrian, African, and South American origin believe in the institution of marriage and that it is an essential and basic unit of social life [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. They hold values such as having connections and sharing a life with immediate and extended family members.…”

“…They hold values such as having connections and sharing a life with immediate and extended family members. Individuals from these cultures recognize the need to care for children and parents in old age [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. People from Pakistani, Syrian, African, and South American cultures feel that it is their moral responsibility and obligation to provide care for their loved ones by caring for them emotionally and financially [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Individuals from these cultures recognize the need to care for children and parents in old age [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. People from Pakistani, Syrian, African, and South American cultures feel that it is their moral responsibility and obligation to provide care for their loved ones by caring for them emotionally and financially [ 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Even though there are more notable similarities among the four cohorts, the current research may additionally inform a culturally competent version of the noted CSA Carer-Inclusive and Accommodating Organizations Standard, as well as gender-sensitive CFWPs in workplaces in order that the welfare of TCEs and the Canadian economy may be sustained.…”