Health-Related Language Cue Cards
In a staff meeting the other day, the social worker mentioned her new resident was having difficulty because he didn’t speak any English. It was arranged that the director of the Dietary Department would go up to act as translator.
“I know a website where you can get language cue cards with health-related words on them,” I told the team.
Following the meeting, the social worker and I went to the computer and pulled up the link from the “Products of Note” section of the sidebar in my blog: Eastern Health: Health-Related Language Cue Cards
“What language do you need?” I asked her, looking at a list of over 60 languages ranging from Italian, Spanish, and German to Ukranian, Farsi, Swahili, and Japanese.
“Punjabi.”
A few seconds later the pages printed out, and were at the 4th floor nursing station within the hour.
Each sheet contained pictures of important social and medical issues, with the English and Punjabi words for them below. The selection included “husband,” “wife,” “sit down,” “shower chair,” “diabetes,” “pain,” and “hospital.” Nestled between “audiologist” and “psychiatrist” was the Punjabi word for “psychologist.”