In the Australian Aboriginal community, poverty causes mental health problems particularly in remote and rural regions. Bowers (2013) emphasised that there are three types of poverty associated with the Aboriginal community such as economical, spiritual and emotional poverty. Poverty is influenced by low employment, location, lack of education and culture (Lahn, 2012). Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) found that there are high rate of unemployment of indigenous people (33, 800) than non-indigenous people living in remote regions. Werner, (2012) exemplified that Individuals who suffer from mental illness may not be able to work and or manage their income adequately. To keep away from poverty, individuals may turn to drugs or Alcohol to …show more content…
Thus equitable access to health care system, community participation, health promotion and Intersectoral collaboration is lacking in Aboriginal society in rural and remote areas, therefore leading to a high rate of poverty and mental illness. Hence, it is important to promote primary health care principles and practices in rural and remote areas to prevent and cure diseases and help reduce poverty rate in Aboriginal society and diminish mental health problems. McMurray and Clendon (2014) emphasised that culture brings people together and “cultural exclusiveness divides citizens by race… affiliation” (pg398). Bowers (2013) emphasised that spiritual and emotional poverty gets passed on through “generations and affects entire communities.” Losing spiritual connection can make individuals weak where they can get stressed, feel isolated and not belong in their …show more content…
Some techniques used by this initiative are yarning and change management skills. Yarning is an explicit tool that is used by individuals to express their thoughts and stories without getting judged or insulted (Geia et al., 2013). The Aboriginal people, prior the British settlements, always consulted with their Elders when dealing with issues as they were more experienced and provided guidance and advice to individuals. Similarly, Deadly Thinking aims to bring back the Aboriginal culture where individuals will share their yarning’s with their community and natural helpers as this will aid their mental health and wellbeing as they will receive guidance in dealing with explicit matters For example, males tend to keep quiet compared to females due to their egotistic nature (Bowers, 2013). Due to this, their mental health may deteriorate and hence they will relieve their pain through illicit substances and Alcohol. Thus Deadly Thinking promotes mental health and wellbeing through yarning where individuals will be encouraged to voice out their thoughts and stories and receive professional guidance from the initiative. Another technique that promotes mental health and wellbeing is change management skills. This skill enables individuals to recognise their faults and addictions and educates them on changing their behaviours, lifestyles
In Canada, access to health care is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Canadian Health Care Act and this system is considered to the one of the best in the world (Laurel & Richard, 2002). Access to health care is assumed on the strong social value of equality and is defined as the distribution of services to all those in need and for the common good and health of all residents (Fierlbeck, 2011). Equitable access to health care does not mean that all citizens are subjected to receive the same number of services but rather that wherever the service is provided it is based on need. Therefore, not all Canadians have equal access to health services. The Aboriginal peoples in Canada in particular are a population that is overlooked and underserved
Definition: Mental health has become a pressing issue in Indigenous communities. Often, a combination of trauma, a lack of accessible health resources, substance abuse, violence, and socioeconomic situations lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in Indigenous Peoples. This crisis is especially apparent in Indigenous youth, where there is a growing suicide epidemic but little mental health support and resources are provided. The increase in stigmatized and untreated mental illness has continued as trauma and systemic injustices remain unaddressed. Indigenous groups, governmental parties, and health organizations are involved.
Guerin, B. & Guerin, P. 2012, 'Re-thinking mental health for indigenous Australian communities: communities as context for mental health', Community Development Journal, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 555-70.
The first factor that has an impact on the health of Indigenous people is their access to health services. Health services include health care provided by general medical practitioners, nurses, and allied health professionals. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2008), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have lower level of access to health services compared to other Australians. Distance may be one of the reasons that Indigenous Australian have difficulties to get to the facilities they want. Compared to the general population, the percentage of having medical facilities, including hospital, Aboriginal primary health care and other community health center, located in the discrete indigenous communities was only 7%, while in general population, the percentage was 35% (ABS 2006). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face many different kinds of transport challenges as well. In 2008, 43% of Indigenous adults lived in an area in which the local transport was not available (HAMAC 2012, p. 99). That affects people’s access to health facilities as well. People may not get the treatment they need when take location and tra...
The Stolen Generation has left devastating impacts upon the Aboriginal culture and heritage, Australian history and the presence of equality experienced today. The ‘Stolen Generation’ refers to the children of Aboriginal descent being forcefully abducted by government officials of Australia and placed within institutions and catholic orphanages, being forced to assimilate into ‘white society’. These dehumanising acts placed these stolen children to experience desecration of culture, loss of identity and the extinction of their race. The destructive consequences that followed were effects of corruption including attempted suicide, depression and drug and alcohol abuse. The indigenous peoples affected by this have endured solitude for many years, this has only been expressed to the public recently and a proper apology has been issued, for the years of ignorance to the implementation of destruction of culture. The Stolen Generation has dramatically shaped Australian history and culture.
Ed. Shelagh Rogers, Mike DeGagné, Jonathan Dewar, and Glen Lowry. Ottawa, Ont.: Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2006. Print.
Vukic, Gregory, Martin-Misener & Etowa (2011) point out that distinctions between Aboriginal and Western worldviews of mental health run the risk of generalizing Aboriginal culture without considering individual and tribal differences or appreciating the dynamic nature of cultural worldviews, values, beliefs, and understandings (p.66). These distinctions can become an issue if we assume a specific worldview with the people we are working. That being said a western worldview on mental health does not include concepts of mind, body, emotion, and spirit or interconnectedness with family, land, and community (Vukic, Gregory, Martin-Misener & Etowa, 2011). Through a Western lens the individual is assessed by the symptoms described and not necessarily
While delivering health care services, nurses usually engage peacefully and collaboratively with the local community, (CARRN, 2005). Recent research shows that the rural nursing practice in Aboriginal communities in affected by the current and projected insufficiency of nursing staff since because the Aboriginal practice is remote and covers the whole of Canada. However, it is noted that this challenge is influenced by the decision to educate Aboriginal Canadian nurses. The Aboriginal nurses acquire nursing educational services through the support of the integration of traditional healing mechanisms and the transmission of health care services to tribal
This study investigated how the cultural practices of Indigenous Australian ad Torres Strait Islander people impact the perception of their health. The discrepancy between the health status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people reveals different health needs for each group. The results of this study suggest that increased engagement with cultural practices, including a firm commitment to cultural continuity as well as creating a better future, reduces trauma among Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander people. Thus failure to consider how people relate with their environment, including land, sea and family can create a gap in the delivery of health care. Key Findings 1 Indigenous Australian people’s perception of healthcare
How would you feel fighting to put food on your table, or struggling to afford the medicine you critically need? Good morning Mr. Robertson and fellow classmates. Poverty has been an unimportant issue to many of us Australian citizens for countless years now. Over 2.5 million Australians are below the internationally accepted poverty line, 105 237 of these people left without a home, 600 000 of them, children. That’s one in every ten people and over 17% of all children, struggling to give themselves the required intakes of food and water. This accurately describes how these people have to live every day; straining to provide not only the resources for their family, but the resources for themselves.
In 2012 the rate of disability for ATSI Australians was a shocking 1.7 times the rate for non-Indigenous Australians. This extreme disadvantage in health comes from the fact that health services are not accessible to many, especially remote Indigenous areas. By communicating to the elders in the Indigenous community, this enormous problem can be easily fixed, and save many lives. “….We had organisations in town to help us, but they don’t know who’s hurting. That’s because they’re sitting up there in their office.
PHE 13-Mental Health Assignment Spirituality and Mental Health: Current Perspectives, Debates and Directions Submitted to Prof. Shankar Das SHSS Submitted by Smitha Maria Thomas M2013PHSE029 SHSS Introduction Spirituality People learn and seek in their lives through spiritual understanding. Spirituality and religion are different where religion is the institutionalized form of spirituality. Spiritual understanding of life results in understanding one’s own worth and value. Spirituality is more of without guidance which helps in developing inner strength and optimism in people. Spiritual practices can be following a faith, meditation, prayer, following a set of standards of living and more focus on values like empathy, kindness, compassion,
Every individuals or group of subcultures are mainly effect or treated fairly with the relation to their values and beliefs or their class in the society. It is important to also note the fact that the breaking of laws and committing crime can lead to greater risks and impact both the lives of individuals creating social disadvantage. Social disadvantage is portrayed as not being able to be treated same as others, not being able to have access to the services or resources provided which is very common amongst the Indigenous Australians and those from lower socio-economic areas. Also, it can be noted that people within these groups have greater chance or higher risk initiating and committing crimes (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2012).
There is no doubt that, interpersonal counseling can be both hard for client and counselor – a delicate balance. A balance that only works with a client that continually comes to counseling. Why is it that there is an attendance difference for Indigenous clients? What is it about the counseling process that has Aboriginal peoples “twice as likely not to return after the first session than Caucasian clients”(Campbell and Nuttgens, 2010.)? It’s important to discuss the implications for Indigenous clients that decline to return, and the implications for Indigenous clients that proceed with the counseling process. In order for this to be examined it’s imperative to discuss the impacts of colonization and historical trauma and how that currently affects Aboriginal
Achieving better health for indigenous people is a challenge throughout the world. Indigenous population have poor health condition than rest of the population in most of the country. This gap in health is larger in develop country than developing county. Many governmental, non-governmental as well as international organizations like WHO, works to improve indigenous health but these effort and work still lacks to meet the gap. One’s health is not about living rather it is a resource which assures normal living (WHO 2014).