No abstract

People who identify as members of religious communities, such as the Amish and Low German Mennonites, face challenges obtaining quality health care and engagement in research due in part to stereotypes that are conveyed through media and popular discourses. There is also a growing concern that even when these groups are engaged in research, the guiding frameworks of the research fail to consider the sociocultural or historical relations of power, further skewing power imbalances inherent in the research relationship. This paper aims at discussing the uses of cultural safety in the context of health research and knowledge translation with groups of people that are associated with a specific religion. Research with the Amish and Low German Mennonites is provided as examples to illustrate the use of cultural safety in this context. From these examples, we discuss how the use of cultural safety, grounded in critical theoretical perspectives, offers new insight into health research with populations that are traditionally labeled as minority, vulnerable, or marginalized, especially when a dominant characteristic is a unique religious perspective.

Closed religious groups are a part of our society, but oftentimes there is a limited understanding of their unique beliefs and practices in relation to death and dying. Based on an existing clinical relationship with one such groupVthe Low-German-speaking MennonitesVa research program has been developed and implemented to address issues noted by health professionals and social service providers who wish to more effectively care for this population but lack an understanding of their beliefs and practices. This article reports on a study on death and dying that was conducted to attend to this knowledge gap and inform clinicians about ways to provide appropriate care for the dying. The qualitative interviews that were conducted with this unique religious group revealed their experiences of death and dying and their practices to honor this transition. Participants believed that suffering is related to the person's relationship with God, and a slow death will provide time to atone for one's sins. Providing care that is more closely aligned with these perspectives can be accomplished if providers are willing to approach this group in a respectful manner that allows for open discussion so that decisions based on faith are made.