This presentation is intended to be a compendium of information and resources on spiritual beliefs and practices of many different religious faiths and denominations currently prevalent in the United States. This info is applicable to all but is designed primarily with caregiver's in the long-term care industry in mind.

1. Diversity

2. Everyone, if not most people, know and understand the term “Diversity” as it
relates to cultural or race. Diversity tells us how different we really are but there
must be an acceptance and an appreciation to who we are in order to build a
strong team and a productive facility.
• Being Diversified is not always easy because in some cases it goes
against the grain of us.
• Most people don’t like to adapt to change or indifferences as it relates to
other cultural differences.
• America is probably the most diversified nation in the World because of
the Freedoms we offer.

3. Jimmy Carter
“We have become not a
melting pot but a
beautiful mosaic.
Different people, different
beliefs, different
yearnings, different
hopes, different dreams.”
(39th President of the United States)

4. Defining Diversity
• Diversity: It’s the understanding, the concept of acceptance, and
respect of the uniqueness, and differences of individuals.
• Based on the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious
beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.
• It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple
tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of
diversity contained within each individual.

5. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I look to the day
When people
will not be
judged by the
color of their
skin, but by the
content of their
character.”
(Civil Rights Activist)

6. IMAGINE
• Imagine if you will, a “WORLD” where everybody looked alike,
there was only one type of house, one type of car, only one type
of people...etc.
• There would be no choices to make in any particular thing
because there would be only one look of everything of its kind.
Imagine... your wife and my wife would look alike, our children
would look alike, our clothes, houses, cars all would look alike
because there would be no distinction. What kind of world would
this be?

7. Reality Check
• “THE REALITY” is everything is different in the world
we live in, every mountain is different, every ocean,
every lake, every river…..every animal of its kind,
every flower, and even every human being.
• Because we live in a “DIVERSIFIED” world it allows
us to have choices, to be satisfied and appreciate the
differences in this world in all things.

8. The World We Live In
Scientists believe that the
estimated number of bird
species alive today is
(between 9,000 to 10,000)
There are over 100,000 known
species of trees in the world.

9. The World We Live In
There are 1,017,018 species of
insects in the world with some
experts estimating that there just
might be as many as 10 million
species out there.

10. The World We Live In
 Galaxies within the
universe, on an average
have between 100 billion
and 1 trillion numbers of
stars.
 Our own Milky Way galaxy
contains about 200 billion
stars; and we're actually
about an average number
of stars.

11. The World We Live In
• There are about 254 nations in the world, but there
are many, many more groups within nations that
may be distinct because of language or other
cultural reasons.
• In America alone there are 198 nationalities.
“We may have come over on different
boats but we are all in the same boat now”

12. What Does
All Of This Mean??

13. “DIVERSITY!”

14. There are two kinds of people when it comes
to “Diversity”
• Those who embrace
diversity are people who
are more God like or
minded people.
• Those who do not
embrace diversity are
more prone to racism,
prejudices or being bias
toward others. 14

15. Those who embrace “Diversity”
• Sees value in all people regardless of race,
gender, religion, disability, or sexual
orientation.
• They respect and accept cultural differences.
• They are willing to develop within themselves
a new way of thinking from old thinking based
on old habits, perception and what has been
taught concerning stereotypes and

16. MOHANDAS GANDHI
“A man is but
the product of
his thoughts
what he thinks,
he becomes.”
(A Political and Spiritual Leader of India)

17. How to incorporate acceptance in a
“Diverse Workplace”
• First know who your cultural groups are within your facility and
be open minded.
• Take “self initiative” to learn the different cultural groups
within your facility.
• As a facility, create/acknowledge these cultural groups
through events such as Black History Month, Octoberfest
[German], Hispanic Month, Greekfest……….
• Encourage residents and family members to attend or
participate in these events.

18. How to incorporate acceptance in a “Diverse
Workplace”
• We must recognize that diversity in the workplace is very important
from several perspectives.
• From a corporate view, a diverse personnel may contribute to a well-
rounded company with limitless possibilities.
• From a personal view, embracing and understanding diversity in the
workplace may lead to breaking down barriers that can inhibit
personal growth, continued development and an overall enjoyable
and fulfilling work and life experience.
• It should NOT be taken for granted that your employees will simply
embrace their diverse work environment.

19. Managing Diverse Groups
• Managing diversity means acknowledging people's
differences and recognizing these differences as valuable
assets to your facility; it enhances good management
practices by preventing discrimination and promoting
inclusiveness.
• Good management alone will not necessarily help you work
effectively with a diverse workforce. It is often difficult to
see what part diversity plays in a specific area of
management.

20. Managing Diverse Groups
When managing “Diverse Groups” within your facility
seek positive effects of managing diversity:
• Recognize that diversity will bring a greater skill base when
managed properly.
• Improve the overall climate on the diversity of your stakeholders in
order to improve satisfaction, reduce conflicts, and improve team
member retention.
• Encourage creativity, flexibility, and innovation among the team
members, which will allow the injection of new ideas and challenge
the normal organizational mindsets.

21. End Result
Managing diversity provides greater
opportunities to form a more productive
team with better performance, and greater
strategic awareness, which enables them
to be more innovative and responsive

22. Consequences of Ignoring
“Diversity”
Ignoring diversity issues costs time, money, and efficiency.
Some of the consequences can include unhealthy tensions
between people of differing gender, race, ethnicity, age,
abilities, etc.; loss of work productivity because of
increased conflict; inability to attract and retain talented
people of all kinds; complaints and legal actions; and
inability to retain women and other minorities, resulting in
lost investments in recruitment and training.

23. All Of Us Must Seek To Understand
Than To Be Understood