Cultural Profile Resource: France
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Cultural Profile Resource: France A resource for aged care professionals Birgit Heaney Dip. 19/06/2014 A resource for aged care professionals Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Location and Demographic ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Everyday Life ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Family ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Personal Hygiene .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Leisure and Recreation ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Religion ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Food and Diet ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Health .............................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Death and Dying ............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Language ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Cue Cards ........................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Disclaimer ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15 References ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15 2 A resource for aged care professionals French Culture Profile Introduction This profile of the French cultural community is just one of the many projects undertaken by Quality Aging. This project aims to provide relevant information for community groups and residential aged care providers to implement “best practice” strategies of care for the older individuals from diverse backgrounds. This project is about ensuring the needs of older persons from a French cultural background are met. Population trends within Australia are increasingly characterized by a diversity of people, languages and culture. Together with this trend is an aging population, also with a rich diversity of languages and cultures. Not surprisingly then, that residential aged care providers are faced with growing demands for culturally responsive facilities and care. This profile aims to create a tool to provide aged care providers with An awareness of the cultural and linguistically diverse needs of older persons from a French background. It also strives to enable the professional capability and progress of staff in the provision of culturally inclusive care; and The organisation’s compliance with the Residential Care Standards and National Care Standards as they pertain to the issue of cultural and linguistic needs. The profile provides beneficial information about a variety of subjects and resources. This is a guide only and is not intended to replace one stereotype of this culture with another; it is only intended to provide some insight into the culture. Nor does it reduce the importance of you establishing the individual cultural needs of each person as part of your care planning process. In an effort to continue to provide you with updated information of this profile and improve its contents, we encourage readers to provide feedback by contacting Quality Aging at [email protected] 3 A resource for aged care professionals Location and Demographic The French often refer to their nation as a hexagon to describe its six-sided shape, and this term is also a symbol for the country. Metropolitan France has an area of over 200,000 square miles (518,000 square kilometers), making it the largest Western European nation. It covers 5 percent of the European continent. Paris is the capital and cultural center, long dominating the rest of the nation. The older provinces, now reconfigured in what are officially called regions, have played an important role in the nation's history. There are currently twenty-two regions. The French Republic includes four overseas departments départements d' outre-mer DOMs): French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion. These DOMs operate primarily as departments within the national system. There are two territorial collectives: Mayotte and Saint Pierre-et- Miquelon. Overseas territories ( territoires d'outre-mer ) include French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis, and Futuna. France borders Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, and Switzerland. While tied to the mainland of Europe, the country is open to the Atlantic to the west. It also has coasts on the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the English Channel to the north. France has a large range of terrain and a varied climate and geography. The major mountain ranges are the Alps in the east and the Pyrenees in the southwest. Each forms a natural boundary with other nations. The Massif Central is a large mountainous plateau in the central area, which includes the ancient volcanoes of the Auvergne region. While most of the country is in a temperate zone, the Mediterranean area is considered to have a subtropical climate. The four main rivers are the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhône. The winds that sweep across the territory have regional names and are connected to regional identity, the most famous being le Mistral in the Rhône valley. 4 A resource for aged care professionals Everyday Life French daily life is surrounded by the country's deep cultural roots that date back hundreds, even thousands of years. French culture is thought by many to be one of the most developed in the world, and many French citizens regard their cultural heritage as all-important. Generally, French people are very independent and individualistic. Thinking for one's self is highly regarded, as is respect for other people's independence and freedom. However, this support of freethinking does not exist without a respect for time-honoured traditions. French people mix the latest ideas with traditional ways of doing things, which can be seen in the diverse arts and crafts that can be found across the country. Etiquette In French, “etiquette " means both "etiquette" and "ceremony." Social class distinctions determine the importance of various forms of correct social behaviour. In general when people greet each other, they shake hands or embrace with a kiss on both cheeks (called faire la bise). Kissing is only done when two people are close friends or relatives. For the most part, the embrace is done only the first time in a day in which one sees someone and is not repeated again until one says good-bye. There is also formality in verbal greetings, so that one shows respect by adding "Madam," "Monsieur," or "Mademoiselle" to any greeting. There are important public and private distinctions. In public spaces, one generally does not smile at strangers or make eye contact with them (for instance, in the subway or bus) and should keep one's voice low when speaking. Privacy is also maintained in homes, so that doors to bedrooms and bathrooms are kept closed. When shopping in smaller stores, the buyer generally greets the proprietor upon entry, and the proprietor helps the client choose the goods to be purchased. It is less common to have free access in a store, although the growth of large hypermarkets and shopping malls is changing this custom. 5 A resource for aged care professionals Cultural Stereotype Like any country, France is "different"; it's a special place, with its ways, its quirks, its wonderful variety, its joie-de-vivre and its bureaucracy. Depending on circumstances, life in France can be anything from incredibly relaxed to frustratingly rigid. Stereotypes die hard; there is still a comic-book stereotype image of the Frenchman dressed in a striped tee-shirt and beret, smoking a Gauloise, and carrying a string of onions round his neck; or else driving a Citroën 2CV to market, with two chickens and a rabbit on the back seat. But it is doubtful if this stereotype still exists anywhere; perhaps just here and there, but without the onions, and certainly not in modern urban France. And the iconic 2CV or "Deux-chevaux" is today a rare site on French roads. Even so, rural France is still home to a dwindling generation of traditional country folk, living life as it used to be; and the heritage and traditions of the