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Article: Language Gap Widens between South Florida Patients, Nursing Home Staffers.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- July 28, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Diane C. Lade, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Jul. 28--Nursing assistant Marie Alexis speaks fluent Creole and good English, but little Spanish while some of the nursing home residents she cares for are Spanish-speakers who know very little English and no Creole.
The language gap can complicate even a simple re...uest. So the resident and the aide sometimes will get out what's called a communication board, originally designed to help patients muted by a stroke.
"They say agua. They show you the picture, and it's a glass of water," said Alexis, who works at Palm Garden of West Palm Beach.
She ...