GERMAN CULTURE

SARAH ZERBST
05/08/2019
NUR 125 LIFE SPAN DEVELOPMENT
GERMANY OR DEUTSCHLAND

 Central Western European county bordered by nine other

countries 
 Home to 82.2 million people, including German and
minorities of other nationalities
 Capital: Berlin   The first book was printed in German (44 Interesting Facts
 Home to the largest railway station in the world (44 Interesting Facts about Germany, 2109). 
about Germany, 2019)
 The first magazine ever seen was launched in 1663 in
 Nine times the size of Paris (44 Interesting Facts about Germany, 2019,
2019) Germany (44 Interesting Facts about Germany).
 Life Span
 Women 83 years old
 Men 79 years old
HISTORY 
 Since before 100AD Germany has been
inhabited by Germanic tribes which
sustained many wars before the creation
of Prussia-dominated German Empire
(European Reading Room, 2014 ) 

 World War I and Revolution of 1918-

19, Empire replaced by parliamentary
Weimar Republic (European Reading Room, 2014)
 1933 Nazi seized power leading to Adolf
Hitler's dictatorship and the annexation of
Austria during World War II and
the Holocaust (European Reading Room, 2014)
 End of World War II two new German
states were founded: West Germany
(American, British, and French
occupation zones) and East Germany
(Soviet occupation zone)(European Reading
Room, 2014)

 The Revolutions of 1989—ended

communist rule in Central and Eastern
Europe (European Reading Room, 2014)
 Germany was reunified October 3rd,
1990(European Reading Room, 2014)
  The largest German immigration to America occurred
between 1820 and World War I, during which time nearly six
million Germans immigrated to the United States (European
Reading Room, 2014). 

 Majority settled in Pennsylvania (about 33%) and Maryland

(12%) (European Reading Room, 2014)
IMMIGRATION   During 1933 and the coming to power of Adolf Hitler, many
more Germans fled to the United States (European Reading Room,
2014).

 1990, according to the U.S Census Bureau nearly 58 million

American claim to be solely or partially of German decent
(European Reading Room, 2014)
LANGUAGE/EDUCATION

 German 95% speak German, however English is

considered their second language (Oishimaya, 2018)  Education attainment in years 13 (IHME, 2019)
 About 56% of the population considers themselves to speak  University is free for everyone (even non-Germans)
English well (Oishimaya, 2018). (44 Interesting Facts about Germany, 2019)
 Close to 35 dialects of German spoken throughout the
 German is the third most widely taught language
country
across the word (44 Interesting Facts about Germany, 2019)
 Immigration leads to additional languages: Turkish,
Kurdish, Russian, Greek, Albanian, Polish, etc. 
(Oishimaya, 2018)
RELIGION 
 65-70% of people recognize themselves as Christian
(The German Way & More, 2019).
 29% Catholic (The German Way & More, 2019).
 4.4% of Muslims (The German Way & More, 2019).
 As high as 36% no not identify themselves as having
any religion (The German Way & More, 2019).
 To avoid the church tax many Germans legally declare
they are non-religious (The German Way & More, 2019)
 In 1821 the Germanic custom of having a Christmas
tree was introduced by Pennsylvania Dutch in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania (The German Way & More, 2019).  
 Later during this century the Pennsylvania Dutch
version of St. Nick, Sinterklaas, evolved into Santa
Claus by popular cartoonist Thomas Nast (The German
Way & More, 2019).  
 The Easter bunny and Eater Eggs were also brought
to this county by German immigrants during this
same time (The German Way & More, 2019).  
RELIGION 

 Do not attend church regularly

(The German Way & More, 2019)

 Church weddings are strictly

optional as the real legal
wedding is performed by a
government official (The German Way
& More, 2019)

Berlin Cathedral 
 On Average, a German person
DIETARY HABITS  consumes up to 72 pounds of meat
a year (German
(German Culture,
Culture, 2018).
2018).

 Historically Germans ate 5 meals per day (The German Way & More, 2019)

 German Breakfast resembles an American deli platter with breads containing seeds; Jam and honey are traditional bread
toppings; variety of cold meats and cheese; cereal, fruit, and eggs (The German Way & More, 2019 ) 
 Main meals of the day is Lunch—Many business close from 12pm until 1-2pm so people can eat lunch together (The German
Way & More, 2019)
 Multiple course: meat and vegetables, side dishes, and dessert

 Beer consumed throughout the day usually with meals (The German Way & More, 2019)
 Ales and lagers are highly popular, with dark Bock beers considered a favorite

There are close to 1500

In a pub, you would raise your different kinds of sausage
thumb (not your index finger) There are 1,500 different
in Germany (German Culture,
if you needed another glass of beers in Germany (German 2018).
Culture, 2018).
beer (44 Interesting Facts about Germany,
2019).  
HEALTH AND WELLNESS 
 Most Common Causes of Deaths
 Ischemic heart disease
 Alzheimer's disease
 Stroke
 Lung Cancer
 Chronic Kidney disease
 Lower Respiratory infection
 Hypertensive heart disease
 Breast Cancer
 Cirrhosis
 Most Common Problems that Cause Disability:
 Lower back pain
 Headaches
 Neck Pain
 Depressive Disorders
 Falls
 Anxiety Disorders
 Age-related Hearing Loss
 Diabetes
Physician Assisted Suicide  COPD
is not illegal, however due
 Oral Disorders
to the oath that physicians
take, does it is not allowed
(Bleiker, 2015).   
(Bleiker, 2015).
Citation for entire slide: (IHME, 2019)
 HEALTH AND WELLNESS

 Risk Factors for both death and Disability:

 Tobacco
 High blood pressure
 High Fasting Glucose
 High Body-Mass Index
 Alcohol use
 High LDL
 Occupational Risks
 Air pollution
 Impaired Kidney Function 

Citation for entire slide: (IHME, 2019)

 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH CARE
 Prenatal through Postnatal Care
 More Holistic Medicine (homeopathic)
 Acupuncture, acupressure and massage therapies
 Herbal teas
 Pediatric medication is not always available in liquid
from and normally given via suppository
 Water not fluoridated so fluoride tables may be
necessary
NOTE: Reference for entire slide (German Culture, 2018)
 Some OB/GYNs do not practice at hospitals, therefore, they
will not be the one to deliver your baby
 Midwifes are commonly in charge of delivering babies 
 Customary that a patient is not given an examination gown,
no private changing area
 Ultrasounds are not considered to be hazardous = much
more frequently administered
 Given a Mutterpass (mother's pass) to bring to every
appointment
 Some hospitals routinely administer an enema and shave
the pubic area
 Hospital do not offer ice
 Common length of stay is 7 days for a vaginal delivery and
7-14 days for C-sections 
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH CARE

Birth Death
Wedding tree is planted to honor the birth of a Funeral's cost between 5,000 and 11,000 euros
girl when time to marry, the family will sell the (Bleiker, 2015)
tree and the earrings will be used to help their Cremation accounts for about 50% of funerals,
daughter start a new household as a married however wood coffins are required AND they
women (The German Way & More, 2019).  must be buried in a cemetery (Bleiker, 2015) 
The first name cannot be gender ambiguous;
cannot cause offense or discomfort; cannot use
last names or name of objects.  The standesamt
(magistrate/civil office) approved or rejects
names (The German Way & More, 2019)
 Culturally, German and American
are not very different, however,
While communist rule ended in communication may be very
1990, many German traditions are different.  As nurse we must
rooted in communistic ways—the accept the differeances and work
way the government runs birth with the patient to provide the best
naming and death practices  nursing care possible

TAKE AWAY
ANY
QUESTIONS?
REFERENCES 

 44 Interesting Facts about Germany. (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.studying-in-germany.org/interesting-facts-about-germany/ 

 Bleiker, Carla. (2015). How to die in germany. Retrieved from: https://www.dw.com/en/how-to-die-in-germany/a-18522753 
 European Reading Room (2014). [The German in America Chronology]. Retrieved from: 
https://www.loc.gov/rr/european/imde/germchro.html 
 German Culture (2019). Healthcare in Germany.  Retrieved from: https://germanculture.com.ua/germany-facts/healthcare-in-germany/ 
 How to Germany. (2019). [Having a baby in germany]. Retrieved from: https://www.howtogermany.com/pages/havingababy.html 
 Nag, Oishimaya. (2018). Worldatlas. What languages are spoken in Germany? Retrieved from:
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-germany.html
 The German Way & More (2019). Religion in Germany. Retrieved from: 
https://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/germany/religion-in-germany/
 IHME. (2019). Germany. Retrieved from: http://www.healthdata.org/germany