Cheri Montoro
Grand Canyon University
NRS-429V
Linda Gobin
August 06, 2013
Heritage Assessment
This paper will assess and discuss the usefulness of applying the Heritage Assessment tool to evaluate three different families each one from different cultural backgrounds consisting of Greek, Italian, and Hispanic ethnicities. This paper will also compare similarities and differences related to health maintenance, health protection and health restoration and the cultural uniqueness of each individual interviewed.
The Heritage Assessment tool is a very useful tool. It appears simplistic in its development and use. There are twenty-nine questions on the tool that provide for a very natural flow in providing information and understanding regarding an individual’s cultural identity. The majority of available responses on the tool are yes or no answers. The assessment tool has been developed to ascertain a deeper understanding for the strength of one’s identity to their traditional heritage (http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/663/679611/box_6_1.pdf).
In assessing my own questionnaire; I have established that English is my language of choice even though I have a strong identification to my Greek heritage but also a strong cultural presence in the United States. Family is very important to me but does not dictate my identity and that I live independent of my family. Spirituality is more important to my state of health than religious practices and I do not specifically or consistently practice cultural beliefs of my heritage.
This tool is very useful in offering a deeper understanding of uniqueness of each individual. This assessment can assist in evaluation and prioritization of education and care specific to an individual’s traditional heritage. This tool also allows for a basic vision of how ones ethnicity and how cultural practice plays a part of an individual’s unique identity. Cultural values have a marked effect
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