Australian Indigenous Health - Assignment Example

Workbook activities Name Institution Date Module 7 Activity 1 The resident GP has to understand the cultural setting of the Aboriginal people and therefore approach the case in a more cultural way. The GP should have tried to understand the local community and assess the circumstance within which they are living. It would have been most appropriate for the GP to establish a rapport with JA and find out exactly what makes him unable to stop smoking. The GP should understand the difficulties that Aboriginal people face before they are able to access health care services. Throughout the development of this case, the GP should have met members of JA family to update them on the health of JA and even ask them to help where necessary. JA needed emotional support. Divulging the news about the diagnosis of lung cancer without preparation was devastating to JA and his family (Smith, 2008). The family members should have known about the medical condition of JA and prepare to help him. The GP should have emphasized in a polite way the enormity of the health condition to JA. The emotional attachment that JA has for his family is portrayed when he says he does not want to be away from his family. The GP tells JA to inform the family when he (JA) is already diagnosed with lung cancer. The family must have been traumatized. The GP himself should have taken the responsibility of even meeting the wife and explaining the medical condition of the husband. The GP is rude and insensitive (Fredericks, 2008).  He tells JA that he is busy when JA asks to see him. Considering the medical condition of JA, the GP should have been more understanding and caring. He does not probe JA further to get to know why the medical situation is like so and what triggered JA smoking and how can he be helped. JA want to meet the JA in advance before proceeding to Darwin but the GP could hear none of this and insisted that he proceed to Darwin because he (the GP) was too busy. The GP is very inconsiderate of the situation and cares less about the welfare of JA and his family. Activity 2 Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) outcomes for JA and his family and community would have been different had a more appropriate service been provided. The family was devastated to learn that JA had lung cancer. After three weeks JA passes on. This incident emotional weighed heavily on the family. After performing the first test on JA, the GP should have set to found out the general welfare of the family and the community by meeting a member of the family or the community. The family should have learnt in advance the health conditions of JA so that they support and encourage him. It is unfair for the family to learn to learn about JA condition after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. If the resident GP took the time to meet the members of the family and explain to them the medical condition of JA, the impact of his death would have been less devastating. The GP should have been more interested in the family and community of JA to get to know the background of the health issues (Smith, 2008). The SEWB outcomes would have been less devastating if the family was involved from the beginning. The GP should have demonstrated that he cares by dedicating his time to JA. He claims that he is busy and insists that JA should meet him in Darwin. This was very discouraging on the part of JA. The family was waiting for him and they must have been discouraged by the reaction of the GP to the medical condition of JA. The GP did not have the interest of JA’s family and community at heart. Module 8 Activity 1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders diets have changed in the past 230 years owing to change in the economic activities and climatic conditions. Availability of meat through hunting has drastically reduced making indigenous people to resort to plants for proteins. Some of the animals being hunted have disappeared or hugely reduced in number. The interaction with non-indigenous communities has led adapting to new dietary levels. Easy availability of western foods has led to decline of indigenous delicacies (Coffin, 2007).  As farming become popular in Australia, traditional bush foods became hard to find as the environment changed. Climatic change and global warming has led to changes in diet of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The government has intervened in the Aboriginal situation by developing Indigenous policy in order to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inequality in health. The government policies were meant to empower the indigenous communities and ensure behavioral change. Nutrition programs for indigenous people in remote communities are meant to substantiate nutritious food for the nutrition deficiency encountered by the indigenous people. The government has made it sure that indigenous people even in the remote places can access food that is essential to their health. Activity 2 Indigenous people in the urban areas do not necessarily posses the same issues concerning access to food as those found in remote communities but yet they still experience poor nutritional problems. Urban indigenous people still experience the problem segregation and stigmatization. Despite them being in urban areas, they cannot still get good paying jobs and be empowered economically. There are only a few indigenous people who are lucky to get good jobs. Consequently, low rate of employment and having meager pay contribute to the poor diet that indigenous people in urban areas have to content with. Although fruit and vegetables are readily available in town, the indigenous people can hardly afford them owing to the low income status. Low paying jobs are mostly reserved for the indigenous people and hence they find it hard to afford anything that thy want (Fredericks, 2008).  Poor diets have to put up with owing to the low income that these indigenous people are paid in their jobs. Affirmative action has to be incorporated in organization to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people secure decent employment and are paid according to their skills and competence. Although the indigenous people in urban areas can afford food, they end up getting the poor quality because of the limiting economic empowerment. Module 9 Activity 1 Badly maintained and substandard housing as well as absence of functioning infrastructure can result into adverse health risks. The material condition of housing can directly cause health risks. For instance, inadequate washing facilities, water supply and overcrowding are health hazards. Contagious diseases can be easily spread in crowded areas where as lack of water can cause diarrhea due to unhygienic conditions. Being far from health facilities is also a risk in case of an emergency (Taylor & Guerin, 2010). Overcrowding has health implication on children with skin infections, meningitis, and respiratory conditions. Basic amenities and resources like water are overstrained in case of overcrowding. It is estimated that close to 2% of indigenous people has no organized sewerage system by 2006. Absence of proper drainage and sewerage systems posed a health risk to indigenous communities. Expose to germs from these places could cause serious health risks. Leakages and overflows pose the risk of contamination of water which may result into diarrhea or other water-borne diseases. Rubbish disposal had a direct impact on community health. Chemical and food poisoning can be prevented through organized rubbish disposal. Insecure and sharp objects can cause infectious diseases if they are not properly disposed. Poisonous used insecticide and pesticide cans expose children to health risk. Electricity and gas enable the operation of health infrastructures like cooling, heating, and lighting, refrigeration, communication and water heating. Absence of electricity supply can impact negatively on these activities (Taylor & Guerin, 2010).  Hospital facilities are run by electricity and inadequate supply is threatening to the life of the affected patients. Flooding and ponds have a direct impact on indigenous people health. Overflow of water in the water causes can cause serious health problems and increase chances of diarrhea. Forming of pools of water that remain stagnant for a period of time can lead to breeding of mosquitoes and other disease causing organisms. Activity 2 The impact of sea-leave rise could be very damaging to essential and healthcare well being of the Torres Strait Islanders. Erosion and the rise of sea level have contributed to increase in storms that threaten the lives of the islanders. Popular delicacies like dugongs and turtles which are hunted for food have significantly decline population and become scarce. This turn of events impacts on the diet of the Torres Strait Islanders making them to miss out on important nutrients which then exposes their bodies to dietary instigated diseases (Taylor & Guerin, 2010).  The seasons have been corrupted by the changing climate to a level that is confusing. People are not sure when to plant their crops. These include sugarcane, bananas, sweet potatoes, yams, and cassavas. Poor nutrition as a result of destruction of crops will to deficiency diseases in the Torres Strait Islanders’ population. Therefore the economic activities of the Torres Strait Islanders have been interfered with by the climatic change. The existence of the islands is threatening by the rising sea-levels. The islands may be eventually submerged completely. The changing climatic condition leads to increase in diseases and makes the islanders prone to accidents. Accessibility to the islands will became hard making it impossible for health specialists to reach out to the affected people on the islands. The health and SEWB associated with the displacement will include a loss of a rich generation history that affect negatively on the self esteem of indigenous people. The Torres Strait Islanders will have to adapt to new climate conditions which may affect their physical and mental health. Moving to a new place will force the Torres Strait Islanders to adapt to new climate which will affect them both mental, physically, and emotionally (NHMRC, 2005).The people have emotional attachment to their physical and climatic condition, moving a new place will make them be prone to new diseases which their bodies are not immune to. Knowing that the Islands are their cultural heritage, the Torres Strait Islanders will find it hard to adapt in the new environment. Cultural destruction will leave the Torres Strait Islanders shattered. Cultural annihilation due to greenhouse effect of rising sea level would be devastating to Torres Strait Islanders very. References Taylor, K. & Guerin, P. (2010). Health Care and Indigenous Australians -Cultural Safety in Practice. Palgrave Macmillan: South Yarra. pp. 126 – 127. NHMRC. (2005).Keeping Research on Track: A guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about health research ethics. National Health & Medical Research Council. Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra. Coffin, J. (2007). Rising to the Challenge in Aboriginal Health by Creating Cultural Security. Aboriginal & Islander Health Worker Journal, 31 (3): 22-24. Fredericks, B. (2008). Making an impact researching with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Studies in Learning, Evaluation Innovation and Development, 5 (1): 24-33. Smith, J. D. (2008). Australia's Rural and Remote Health: A social justice perspective. Tertiary Press: Victoria. Taylor, K. & Guerin, P. (2010). Health Care and Indigenous Australians -Cultural Safety in Practice. Palgrave Macmillan: South Yarra. Read More