An elderly Japanese American woman lived alone in her apartment. Recently it was noted that she was not keeping her apart- ment and garden up as she did in the past, she has locked herself out of her apartment four times this year, she has forgotten to pay the rent, and last week she left the stove on and burned a pot. Her friends and family made an appoint- ment for her with a geriatric consultant through her health care provider. She was evaluated by a social worker, and a Cauca- sian caregiver was hired to assist her with activities of daily living. Since the caregiver has been cooking, the woman has been expe- riencing diarrhea, cramping, and abdominal pain. She has been using medications for the problem and is being evaluated at the hospital for her symptoms. Among the things to be considered by the doctors is the possibility that the woman is lactose intolerant, which is preva- lent among Japanese people. Because a non- Japanese caregiver now cooks her meals, she may be eating food she is not used to that possibly contains lactose, and she may not be able to discuss this with the caregiver due to communication problems. Consider the following: What can be done to assist this woman in a manner more appropriate to her traditions