UW–Madison case study investigates gap in quality of life for Hmong nursing home residents

Mai See Thao, a medical anthropologist and professor, studied the experiences of Hmong residents in a nursing home in Minnesota to gain insights. Photo courtesy of Envato

While a growing body of research has revealed racial disparities in the quality of life for nursing home residents, few studies have focused on Hmong residents in these facilities. A new University of Wisconsin–Madison case study is filling that gap with key insights into the population’s needs that aren’t being met in the nursing home setting.

Mai See Thao, a medical anthropologist and professor at UW–Madison, along with researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa, studied a nursing home in Minnesota to learn more about Hmong residents’ experiences. Their paper, recently published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology, explores significant shortcomings in care and quality of life.

“The residents in this space felt that they lived like they were in captivity,” says Thao, who is Hmong. “A lot of the work as an anthropologist is to bear witness to people’s stories and to tell [them], especially the stories of people who are being marginalized or who feel completely isolated in these spaces.”

The study’s key findings, based on many hours of observation and interviews with nursing home residents and staff, include:

Thao’s research interests consider the position of Hmong people as a historical refugee community to apply a critical lens to science, medicine and the inequities in health care spaces.

Thao believes it’s essential to factor in refugees’ past experiences as they age in care facilities, to avoid reproducing feelings of isolation, abandonment and uncertainty. With Wisconsin being home to one of the largest populations of Hmong in the country, Thao notes that the study’s findings can translate to nursing homes in the state.

She also thinks that these critical insights can improve care for not only Hmong residents, but also for other underserved populations.

“It is oftentimes through the eye of ‘the other’ that we’re able to see clearly what we don’t even realize,” she says, adding that it’s important to reflect on how medical care is practiced every day, especially in nursing homes.

Tags: aging, anthropology, research