Grand Canyon University: NRS 429V family centered health promotion
December 16, 2012
Heritage Assessment Tool Before we begin this journey of understanding heritage, we need to know what the meaning of heritage is. In my eyes, heritage has a lot to do with your traditions, culture, ethnicity, food, and the way you perceive your life. According to the UMASS Amherst website, heritage is defined as “the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviors that we draw from them” (UMASS Amherst, 2012). Moving from a different part of the world to a different culture can be thrilling but at the same time it can be scary. During these hard times, your heritage and culture is what differentiates you from others and helps you recognize the importance of having a heritage. In this essay, we will discuss the cultural differences between different heritages and describe health maintenance, health protection, and health restoration pertaining to each heritage. What is the usefulness of applying a heritage assessment tool? Applying the heritage assessment tool increases a reader’s intelligence so he/she can appreciate different heritages, and understand how it can affect someone’s life. The heritage assessment tool describes minute details that can distinguish one’s heritage from another. This assessment tool can justify how close and in depth people are with their heritage, and also what they can change in their daily activities to learn from their heritage for the betterment of their lives and futures. As nurses, it is critical to know our heritage or someone else’s heritage, so we can learn and provide the necessary care needed for our patients. [A challenge to the practice of nursing is to apply health education to individuals and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Cultural beliefs and values influence health decisions and must be taken into consideration. Therefore, cultural diversity in health education is as