Indigenous Cultures and Health Journal Entries - Essay Example

Indigenous Cultures and Health Journal Entries and Summary 31, May 2014 Name and explain the 3 social determinants that are specific to Aboriginal people Education Education level affect the health of the Aboriginal people just as it does in other countries especially the developing world. Education is a gateway to empowerment and thus the majority of the indigenous lack formal education. It is only a handful of young people who had to leave their families and join mission institution that acquired the necessary required education that enable them recognize the benefit of the drug more than world plants (Bessarab, 2000). If all the Aboriginal have not been discriminated against in the education sector, then the health of the community would be much better than it is today. Access to Employment The Aboriginal has few chances of getting employed compared to the non-Aboriginal communities. The Aboriginal has survived over the history out of abject poverty and thus making it hard for them to afford a decent living with a diet that cater for the needs of their health. The lack and discrimination of employment thus have worsened the health of the Aboriginal compared to the non-indigenous communities. The Aboriginal come from a rich historical background that alienated them from their land and activities that defined their lives. Moreover, the arrival of the white people in Australia alienated the families when the whites took over the duty of raising up the children of the Aboriginal. This practice has affected the lives and health of the Aboriginal for a long time (Aboriginal Health , 2014). The children has grown to become healthy and well educated while their parent has suffered for lack of basic health care and other amenities. Social Injustices The lack of access to justice has contributed to increased desperation among the Aboriginal and other indigenous communities. Children, as well as adult, have given up succeeding in life and result to drug abuse and crime. Moreover, there is increased family violence that deteriorate the health of the family members. Furthermore, family violence has made children run away from their parent while other has been neglected, and abused leading to stress and depression that define the indigenous people (Dick, 2007). The problem facing the Aboriginal does not only come from lack of medicines, doctors or lack of insufficient hospitals, but a chronic stress of social economic inadequacy (Dick, 2007). What do you need to keep in mind when working with Aboriginal families? The provision of health care and other services to the Aboriginal is a complex task that need policy makers develop ways of better handling the indigenous people. They have a deeply entrenched social problems that affects families and the aboriginal communities. The Aboriginal people have different cultures and also differs in large extent to that of the non-Aboriginal communities. The Aboriginal has characteristics that are specific to certain geographical location with considerable variation in rural, urban and remote communities (Price-Robertson & McDonald, 2011). It is important, therefore, to understand the immense challenges that the Aboriginal communities face in order to address effectively their problems. The community suffer from historical and current dispossession, racism and marginalization (Price-Robertson & McDonald, 2011). Moreover the Aboriginal are a victim of past policies of assimilation and forced removal. Therefore, understanding these make it easy for health practitioners to work with the communities rather than working on them. Health providers therefore need to understand the language and cultural background of the indigenous so as to facilitate better working relationships (Price-Robertson & McDonald, 2011). The indigenous Australian has maintained a culture that is different from that of the mainstream. And non-indigenous Australian. The cultural differences, therefore, calls for a different approach to policy and practice used by the government and other services providers. In order to deliver services effectively, all service providers ought to ensure that they are culturally competent or employ people who understand the challenges of the Aboriginal people (Garvey). Health story- An Interprofessional case study of Russell Nelly/Coping with change and violence The history of health among the Aboriginal is fascinating. Nelly provide his analysis of how he came to be a mission children when his parent had gone to take him to the hospital after he was born under a tree. The missionaries deprived parent their children because they had little knowledge of taking care of them. Nelly says that though he knew that he was to leave his parent, he had to because doing otherwise would mean that he would be left behind (Nelly). This is an example of structural violence and systematic bias that the Aboriginal has experience over a period of 200 years (Eckermann, et al., 2011). Over for a period of 14 years Nelly had to do with the mission activities where they were abused with all sort of propaganda that they were black people with no better future than the white. Moreover, the mission camp had to ensure that the Aboriginal children involved themselves in farming while in a tender age. This exposed them to bad weather conditions such as walking the cows over cold ice ground while they were barefoot. However, at the age of 14, Nelly left the mission school and into the street where he engaged in gangs and drug abuse. However, after suffering for a couple of time he quit drug (Nelly). The Aboriginal have had higher infant mortality rate and they lived for short duration compared to the immigrant. The experience of physical violence and harsh working conditions worsened their wellbeing leading to early death (Eckermann, et al., 2011). It is evidenced that the life expectancy of adults among the Aboriginal is 17-20 years less than the mainstream communities and the infant mortality has always been two to three times that of the non-Aboriginals (Eckermann, et al., 2011). After he got married, Nelly weight increased and for a short while he started having heart problem and diabetes. Furthermore, he says that he has survived several snake bites, a car accident and also being kicked by a horse in the head (Nelly). His acquaintance with knowledgeable aboriginals ensured that he had access to medicinal bushes. Through their knowledge he learned how to use bush staff when he was sick and that’s how he survived while his peers died. Aboriginal Health Organizations Wheatbelt Aboriginal Corporation is one of the health organization that works to help the indigenous community in managing the health problem such as children’s health, diabetes, and heart problems (Yarran). Though the Aboriginal communities have over the years relied on herbal medicine the establishment of health organization have improved the conditions of patient who would rather succumbed to terminal and recurring illness. Moreover, the Royal Perth Hospital Unit is another health organization that takes care of Aboriginal suffering from renal failure. It offers dialysis services and thus prolong the life of people with renal problem. Yarran says that he has worked for Royal Perth Hospital Renal Unit as a support person for three years. There after he transferred to become a cardiologist and to help people who suffered heart failure? This organization helps the aboriginal to overcome the challenges of suffering from life style related health problem by diagnosing and educating people on living a healthy live by taking the required diet (Yarran). The National Health and Medical Search Council is involved in guiding researchers in conducting research among the Aboriginal. The institute has played a major role in advancing the knowledge of indigenous communities by providing the necessary data required in drafting health policies. The organization has trained personnel who are competent in dealing with the Aboriginal given that they do not have homogenous culture and have a history of health challenges dating few century back even before the arrival of the white missionaries in the shores of Australia. Summary of the four journal One of the contributing factors to the difference among the Aboriginal and other groups in Australia is a diverse culture background. It has rendered to skewed provision of health services among the Aboriginal because of discrimination associated with racism, stereotypes, prejudice or pre-judgment and ethnocentrism among others. According to Eckermann, et al.(2011) people are not only influenced by culture, but also by environmental factors. The colonization of Australia brought a whole lot of difference among the indigenous communities. The Aboriginal valued law, lore, land and language which form the cornerstone of their culture (Eckermann, et al., 2011). However, the arrival of the Western Powers denied the aboriginal their values and affected their social, economic and political organizations. The Aboriginal thus has been grappling with adaptation to the social and economic changes and coping with the new environment introduced by foreigners. The dynamic of the indigenous people have been shaped by their wants, needs and wishes to make them have a rough time for many years. According to the Aboriginal culture, the traditions recognized family as consisting of fathers, mothers, aunties, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins and close non biological family members (Walker, 1993). The size of the family was large then, but things have changes and todays the family members out of nuclear family are referred to as the extended family. The period before colonization were characterized by a straightforward life where love was abundant. People had few social problem and lived for many years. The Aboriginal has survived a whitely dominated society where their children have been removed from them by the colonial families. However, this has not watered down the knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal culture (Walker, 1993). The people have been educated and are effectively fighting the oppressing system. The system has discriminated the Aboriginal in accessing health care rendering them vulnerable to curable diseases. The Aboriginal have suffered racism since the settlement of the white people. The hate of the human being as a result of their color of the skin has denied the Aboriginal the basic in life such as better health, employment, housing, training, education, but this has only made their resolve stronger. According to Russell Nelly his absence from his family and the life in the street did not deter him from making out in life. He undergone what majority of the Aboriginal children went through, but he, unlike his colleagues, did not succumb to illness and drug addiction. Nelly says that he faced challenges on the day he was born and had to life with his parent for few months. He says he was born under a tree with no medical attention. The Aboriginal children have grown to know that there parent do not need them. However, this was a prejudice by the white to alienate the children from their parent and have a big influence on their life over them. This rendered them to develop hatred and engage in anti-social behaviours once they dropped out of missions institutes. According to Nelly, one of the challenges that faced them when they were growing up is how to deal with health challenges and many of his peers had to die for lack of medical attention. The parent who would have provided the care needed had long been forgotten while the children were brought up by white missionaries (Nelly). Nevertheless, the interaction among the white children and the Aboriginal children created an avenue to bridge the gap that existed between the white and the indigenous people. According to Nelley, the interaction that he had with the white boys made him understand that there was no difference among the races, and this has enabled him rise to the position he has in society as he learned the good culture among the white while discerning the negativity towards the aboriginals. However, though according to Nelly the white boys were his cousins by virtue that they attended the same mission they were always set apart in almost all activities. He narrates of a situation he was referred to the ‘dunce’ meaning that he was a dummy (Nelly). The European and the townie pitied the Aboriginal children because they have been taken away from their families. The treatment of the Aboriginal by the health facilities was wanting as Nelley says that when he had suffered a drug overdose the doctor told him that he would not survive to his 20th year. Moreover, the Aboriginal has had a negative relation with the white as a result of historical injustices. This is evidence when Nelly walk out of hospital. Today there are health organizations that cater for the health of the Aboriginal and minimize the challenges faced by the indigenous communities as a result of cultural relativism. Nelley says that he had access to drug when he was in the mission, but things changed when he moved out and into the street. The life in the town had all the freedom, but also will full responsibility of one’s health (Nelly). The experience that the Aboriginal go through is wanting. Nelley says that after he was married and had gone to a hotel, the people who are supposed to serve you ignore you because you are from an indigenous community. This according to Shelley is what ails the aboriginal people health because they suffer from depression and stress related diseases as a result of negative treatment among the mainstream communities (MacRae A, 2012). The establishment of National Health and Medical Research Council has facilitated in training students and health practitioners on the better ways of providing healthcare to the Aboriginal people. This is because they has a unique challenges and unless practitioners understand them they might not get the help they rely need to survive. This institute has also researched on the life of Aboriginal and their culture to ensure that government policies include the required institutions facilities and resources to manage diseases emanating from historical injustices, racism and pre-judgment. Moreover, the Wheatbelt Aboriginal Corporation is an organization established to provide care and treatment of diabetes and heart related problems. Furthermore, the Royal Perth Hospital Unit provide care for Aboriginal patient suffering from renal failure. Nelley says that there has been increased cases of people going for dialysis as a result of drug and alcohol abuse. All of the people that he talks to suffer from the renal failure were mission bred, but their life turned down when they were drop out in town to look for their parent and to have forgotten them they had no option other than give in to peer pressure and indulgence in street life (Nelly). Life out of the mission was as rough as every person had to work him off to get what he needed. Nelley says that he only had $10 and the clothes he wore when he was dropped to find his family. He says that if he needed a car he had to work for it or a radio. The only way to get these staff was looking for a job. The situation made him suffer from police arrest time and again and in and out of hospital as a result of injuries sustained as a result of fighting (Nelly). Almost all the mission bred were Noongars and explains the cultural environment of the Aboriginal and the challenges that they encounter in their day to day activities. All the bad job were reserved for the Aboriginal such as policemen and jails officers. According to Nelley, police all police were known because they had thick skin as if it was a necessity to endure the nature of the job. Nonetheless, the Aboriginal have to work hard because they had no other alternative to look up to. Nelley had to survive working at Condingup clearing land for development. Nelley says that the Noongars suffered ‘a chip on the shoulder’ as a result of enduring negative comments and being in the wrong place at the wrong period (Nelly). The snide remarks and prejudice would imprison a person for six to 12 months or even for a longer time. The Aboriginal has endured being told that they are black and that they are not good enough compared to the white people. Moreover, the talk that the black have no brain render only made the likes of Nelley to the ‘drugs and alcohol trip’ (Nelly). All the difficult life that Nelley experience from the time he parted way with his parent made his health deteriorate from mental upheaval to mental problems. The life that he lived in explains the danger that he posed to his health. He was too much into sex, rock & roll and drugs and did not care of whatever happened to his life. Nelley had suffered from blood clots, heart failure and diabetes as a result of the environment he had to live in. In conclusion, though Nelley had prior knowledge of Aboriginal culture of herbal medicine there are his peer who were ignorant and had to die while still young due to the challenges that Aboriginal experiences in the hands of white supremacy. However, Nelley says that as a result of better services nowadays and organizations that caters for the indigenous families his health is better now than before. References Aboriginal Health . (2014). Retrieved from Caac.org: http://www.caac.org.au/aboriginal-health/social-determinants-of-health/ Bessarab, D. (2000). Working with Aboriginal Families: A Cultural Approach. NSW: Pearson Education . Dick, D. (2007, April 30). Social Determinant and the Health of Indigenous Peoples in Australia- A Human Rights Based Approach. Retrieved from HumanRight.Gov: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/speeches/social-determinants-and-health-indigenous-peoples-australia-human-rights-based Eckermann, A.-K., Dowd, T., Chong, E., Nixon, L., Gray, R., & Johnson, S. (2011). Binan Goonj: Bridging Cultures in Aboriginal Health. Chatswood: Elsevier. Garvey, D. (n.d.). Social, Emotional and Physical Well-Being [Recorded by D. Garvey]. Australia. MacRae A, T. N. (2012). Overview of Australian Indigenous health Status. Retrieved from Health Infonet.ecu: http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews Nelly, R. (n.d.). Health Story [Recorded by R. Nelly]. Australia. Price-Robertson, R., & McDonald, M. (2011, March). Working with Indigenous children, families, and communities. Retrieved from aifs.gov: http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca/pubs/sheets/ps/ps6.pdf Walker, Y. (1993, August). aboriginal Family Issues. Australian Institute of Family Studies, pp. 51-53. Yarran, D. (n.d.). Communication and Working with Community [Recorded by D. Yarran]. Australia . Read More