KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN INTERVIEWING A LATINO CUSTOMER  

• Latinos value relationships.  Shake hands and greet the customer by name or ask the customer what they prefer to be called.
• Eye contact with people of authority may be avoided as a sign of respect.
• When a Latino customer nods his/her head, it does not necessarily signify agreement.  It may only signify that the person is listening to you.
• Silence is more often a sign of not understanding or disagreement.  To ensure understanding, ask open-ended questions and encourage the customer to ask questions.
• Because the family is an important source of emotional support, customers may like to have family members present during an interview.
• Latino immigrants tend to be more relaxed with time.  It is important to begin any meeting with an informal and relaxed exchange of personal or family information before beginning to work on tasks related to the meeting’s purpose.
• It is important to greet the male head of household before greeting the female if he is present.
• It is also important to ask whether the father or head of household is in agreement with a plan even if he is not present at the meeting.
• Provide information in a courteous manner and listen attentively to customers.

• Geographic Distribution and Population Estimates:

1. According to information available from the Minnesota State Demographic Center published in June of 2004, the estimated immigrant population of Latinos in Minnesota is 175,000.
2. The majority of this population is in the Twin Cities with Minneapolis having the single largest Latino population of any city.
3. Other cities with substantial Latino population include:  St. Paul, Bloomington, Richfield, Brooklyn Park, West St. Paul, Willmar, Rochester, Worthington and Faribault.

• Religion

1. The predominant religion among Latinos is Catholicism.
2. There are two central ideas to Roman Catholicism
   1. the “Church” as a teaching authority, which means that the “Church” is the interpreting agent for the Bible and the Pope speaks officially and infallibly on matters of faith and morals, and
   2. the “Church” as a sacramental agent, which means that the “Church” institutes sacraments like baptism, penance, holy communion, confirmation, marriage, holy orders and last rites to help its followers live more spiritually.
3. Within this religious world view, God controls all, and many Latinos believe that life and health are controlled by divine will, fate, and the environment, generating a sense of personal powerlessness. 
4. The “church” influences family life and community affairs, giving spiritual meaning to the culture.
5. Traces of the religions of the Indians and African-Americans of Latin America are found in the Catholicism that Latinos practice today.

• Languages Spoken

1. Spanish is the official language of most Latino immigrants.
2. It is important to remember that each country will have its own accent, colloquialisms and lexicon.
3. In several countries, the indigenous populations have retained their native languages.
4. Some of the diverse nationalities that make up the Latino population include:  Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, etc.

• Health Care and Religious and Cultural Beliefs

1. Common diseases seen in Latino immigrants include cardiovascular disease, cancer, HIV infection, diabetes, pneumonia and influenza and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
2. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease are the major cause of  disabilities among Latino adults.  The most common disabilities included:  mobility impairment (loss of limb, paralysis); sensory impairments (blindness, deafness); and learning disabilities.
3. Many Latinos may not seek health care from medical professionals.  Instead they may seek care from “curanderos” or folk healers.
4. Most Latinos tend to have a holistic approach to health care in which the mind and body are seen as one.  This view integrates physical, mental and spiritual health.
5. Latinos may see illness as an imbalance between internal and external sources such as hot and cold, natural vs. supernatural, the soul as separate from the body.
6. Again it is common for many Latinos to believe that God determines the outcome of illness.  The person is seen as an innocent victim, and will be expected to be passive when ill.
7. In the Latino culture, family members believe that it is their responsibility to care for one another under any circumstances, and a “person with a disability” is seen as an individual that needs to be “taken care of”.
1. The family can become overprotective as the person is seen as a “victim” of the disability.
2. The idea of assisting the person in becoming independent is unrealistic to the family and the individual as well.
8. Women are considered the center of the family and in charge of the family’s health.
9. The mother determines when a family member requires medical care and the male head of the household gives permission to go to the doctor.

• Family Structure

1. For Latinos the family is valued as an interdependent network of individuals who are closely connected for the good of the family as a whole.  The concept of family ties is very strong among this immigrant group.
2. This network may include nuclear family members or may extend to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and “compadres” (godparents).
3. The father or the oldest adult male is seen as the head of the family/household and the decision maker, and the mother is responsible for the home.
4. Even though the head of the household is viewed as the decision maker, important decisions often involve the whole family.
5. It is expected that the father would give monetary and social support to his children, whether married or unmarried.
6. Love of family is also expressed by the Latino system of naming.  Four names are given to each individual.  The first two names are that person’s unique given names.  The third name is the father’s, while the fourth name is the mother’s.
7. Children are taught the importance of honor, good manners and respect for authority and the elderly.
8. Older persons are held in high esteem in the Latino culture, and the views of an elder member of the family contributes significantly to the cultural framework developed by other family members.

• Occupational Background

1. Many Latino workers find employment in Minnesota’s meat packing, food service and agricultural industries.
2. Each summer between 15,000 and 20,000 migrant farm workers come to Minnesota to work.
3. Latinos have a reputation for being hard workers in their communities

RESOURCE LIST FOR LATINO IMMIGRANTS IN MINNESOTA

Culture Clues:  Communicating with Your Latino Patient; University of Washington Medical Center; web site address:  http://depts.washington.edu/pfes/pdf/LatinoCultureClueDec99.pdf   December 3, 1999.

Estimates of Selected Immigrant Populations in Minnesota:  2004; Minnesota State Demographic Center; Ronningen, Barbara J.; web site address:  www.demography.state.mn.us/PopNotes/EvaluatingEstimates.pdf; June, 2004.

Finding Common Understanding:  An Employer’s Guide to a Cross-Cultural Workplace; International Institute of Minnesota; web site address:  http://www.iimn.org/ (click on Publications); January 2001.

Immigrants in Minnesota; Greater Twin Cities United Way; web site address: http://www.unitedwaytwincities.org/news/immigrants_latino.cfm; 2004.

Immigrants in the Twin Cities:  A Snapshot – 2^nd Edition; Greater Twin Cities United Way Research and Planning Department; web site address:  http://www.unitedwaytwincities.org/news/download/immigrants_report_2nd_ed.pdf; August 2001.

Immigration in Minnesota; The Minneapolis Foundation; 1999.

Latino Access to Rehabilitation Services:  Evidence From Michigan; American Rehabilitation; Anna M. Santiago; web site address:  http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0842/is_n1_v22/ai_19126160/print; Spring 1996.

Latino Culture and Disability:  a Different Approach; Proyecto Vision:  A Bilingual Web Site for Latinos with Disabilities; Almanza, Alma; web site address:  http://www.proyectovision.net/english/news/02/culture.html; April 2002.

Latino Health Beliefs:  A Guide for Health Care Professionals; National Council of La Raza; Washington D.C.:  1998.  (Not available on the internet)

2000 Census Shows a More Racially and Ethnically Diverse Minnesota; Minnesota State Demographic Center; McMurry, Martha; web site address:  http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/demography/DownloadFiles/pdf/Census2000Race.pdf;  

Understanding the Hispanic Culture; Ohio State University Fact Sheet; web site address:  http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5237.html; 2002.