New Alternatives in a Plural Society: Care to Dependents and Foreign Care

Taking care of a dependent person means to supply those needs that this person cannot satisfy by himself due to his lack of independence or autonomy (Henderson). Care is transmitted from one generation to another as a social practice and as a cultural heritage. It is taught through culture and social practices, and it is learnt through personal experience. At the same time, care does not happen in an empty context but in the context of systems and health and social structures, among other things, that finish its shape. When caring, the culture and social practices of a carer from one country (country of origin) are different in comparison with those of the country of destination. The concept of transcultural care of Leinnenger echoes the cultural diversity that this difference or opposition involves, and recommends incorporating it in the professional practice, developing care practice which she defines as culturally competent. Other theoreticians in the field of nursing incorporate additional dimensions such as prejudice, developing approaches in which it is argued that care should be accompanied by an intercultural sensitivity (Campinha-Bacote). This article presents a study on female migrant carers and their care strategies in key areas in the province of Huelva and the city itself, southwest of Spain, where they provide elderly care in different areas of expertise: specialised care in hospitals and care for the family unit at home. After an initial description of the demographic profile of the carers interviewed in our study area, our objective is to know the strategies they develop when caring for people from different backgrounds and how they are integrated into the social, cultural and institutional context of taking care to dependents of the host society.