The Hutterites are a communal group of people, living on hundreds of scattered colonies throughout northwestern North America. By basically removing themselves physically from the outside world, they feel they are able to keep the influences of the world away. On average, fifteen to eighteen families live and work on the typical Hutterite colony, where they farm, raise livestock and produce manufactured goods. In these colonies, the Hutterites use modern equipment and share all property in common. They eat meals as one group in a main dining hall as family time is very important to them. The men in the colonies dress in jackets and pants, usually black in color. Under their jacket, they wear a button up collared shirt. The pants they wear …show more content…
In every culture, we hope or pray that our loved ones live a life full of happiness and free of sickness. Hutterites want this as well, however, while some cultures may put their elderly in assisted living or nursing homes, Hutterites try to care for their elderly at home for as long as they possibly can. Hopefully, that is until their death. When an elder gets sick in the colony and can no longer live on their own, they move in with one of their children, usually a daughter so she can care for them for as long as possible. In many Hutterite communities, the wife of the colony leader usually serves as the community health advocate, or “nurse” for all of the families in the colony. The job of the colony “nurse” is to assess what is wrong with the person having health problems and then can counsels them on whether or not they should see a doctor (UW Medicine). Hutterites are not likely to go to the doctor and seek medical attention for minor pain or illnesses, instead they tend to use folk medicines and drink herbal teas. They are not opposed to seeking medical attention or have surgery, but are not as likely as some cultures to intervene with a life-threatening illness, especially in their elders. Their home remedies or folk medicine includes interventions such as: vitamins, homeopathic remedies, health foods, reflexologists, and chiropractors. Hutterite health habits are primarily …show more content…
Some of the more common illnesses that are seen throughout Hutterite colonies are cystic fibrosis, alcoholism, genetic mutations and other problems that can be associated with inbreeding (E. Becker, Personal Communication, 2017). One of the major illnesses that is seen when caring for Hutterites is Bowen-Condrati Syndrome. Bowen-Condrati Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that is apparent at birth. It is characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, failure to grow and gain weight at the expected rate during infancy, malformations of the head and facial area, causing physical abnormalities. Bowen-Condrati Syndrome is transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait. The parents of most individuals with Bowen-Condrati Syndrome have been closely related by blood (National Organization for Rare Disorders). Scientists at the University of Manitoba led a seven-year project that has located the fatal switch in the EMG1 gene that happens in roughly one out of every 355 Hutterite births (University of Manitoba). Generally, a baby born with Bown-Condrati Syndrome usually does not live longer that six months, they are born at a low birth weight, feeding complications, and failure to thrive. If a baby does survive they are prone to seizures, abnormalities of the kidneys, heart, brain, and other organs (Genetics Home
Palliative care is an essential to the creation of a health and wellbeing continuum for Australians living with a chronic illness. It is an approach of care that seeks to improve the life of patients and family experiencing the effects of chronic illness. Palliative care centres on the relief of the symptoms and effects of disease and incorporate the physical, psychological and social dimensions of a person at the end of life. A recent focus for the delivery of palliative care by nurses to Indigenous communities is the consideration that culture can create barriers to the provision of appropriate and beneficial care for the dying or deceased person. This essay explores the palliative nurse caring for Indigenous communities and the need to consider
The two Hmong cultural values that were demonstrated by the Lee family are portrayed by their belief and view about the cause and method of cure for an illness. The Lee family comes from a culture that believes in holistic healing. They have an animalistic view about health and medicine. For instance an epileptic is seen as someone who has been chosen to be a healer. Most Hmong epileptic are shamans, therefore even though the Lee’s wish that their daughter’s illness will be cured, they also have a mixture of pride because “although shamanism is an arduous calling that require years of training with a master in order to learn the ritual techniques and chants, it confers an enormous amount of social status in the community and publicly marks the triv neeh as a person of high moral character since a healing spirit will never choose a no account host” (Fadiman,1997, p.21). It is not surprising that their view about health is reflected mostly in their traditional belief in the causes and the cure of an illness. For i...
Traditional Hmong’s believe in their Shaman rather than western doctors, they choose to detain their treatment by hosting their rituals to save them. A shaman is “a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc” (dictionary.com). Hmong individual’s have a belief that ancestral spirits, including the spirits of shamans, are reincarnated into the same family tree. Hmong consider being a shaman an honor because they carry the duty of helping mankind according to Hmong mythology. Differences between Hmong traditional beliefs and Western biomedical beliefs create a lack of understanding. Negative health care experiences result in Hmong community members’ mistrust and fear of Western medicine. However, when there’s mistrust between a doctor and a patient there could be lack of treatment because of the differences between our ...
Secondly, the customary health beliefs of the aboriginal populace are interrelated with numerous characteristics of their customs such as kinship obligations, land policies, and religion (Boulton-Lewis, Pillay, Wilss, & Lewis, 2002). The socio-medical structure of health beliefs, which the aboriginal people...
Illness was treated in many ways but the main goal was to achieve a sense of balance and harmony.(p82). Applications of herbs and roots, spiritual intervention, and community wide ritual and ceremonies were all therapeutic practices.(p71). “It was the healer who held the keys to the supernatural and natural worlds and who interpreted signs, diagnosed disease and provided medicines from the grassland, woodland, and parkland pharmacopoeia.”(p18). The healers knowledge of herbs and roots and ways to administer and diagnose had been passed down from generation to generation.(p85). Healers stood as an advantage for the Aboriginal people. “Trust and a personal relationships would naturally build between the patient and the healer.”(p77). This must have ...
The roots of the above beliefs and values are influenced by the fact my parents and grandma were raised in Vietnam. Growing up, my grandma lived in poverty as a single mother raising 12 children. She has always been independent with her health and often rely on traditional home remedies. The idea of knowing many cultures shares this mutual health belief; it will definitely affect my nursing practice in the future. The majority of Southeas...
According to Hutterian Brethren, “The early traditional style [of the Hutterites] originates from the German and Austrian national costume: black Lederhosen and suspenders for men and boys; the Dirndl, a sleeveless dress with a blouse and an apron for women and girls.” Hutterian Brethren also states, “Both men and women usually wear dark jackets/coats [and] children, for the most part wear lighter colours than adults.” The Hutterites practice sameness because they all wear the same types of clothes. With the women and the girls wearing dresses and blouses and the men and the boys wearing leather pants with suspenders. This shows that the Hutterites are a utopia because being the same creates a favorable environment with no chaos. No one will be worried about how they look and not looking like everybody else. Dressing the same helps prevent people from judging other citizens. Sameness helps create a utopia because the people will act the same and this helps to not cause conflict in the community. It will help make the citizens appreciate the community more and think it is a perfect place. Therefore, the Hutterites society is a utopia because the citizens practice
The lack of clear statistics for health status however reflects the unfortunate lack of even the most basic of medical services to Haitians. For example, only one-fourth of births are attended by a skilled health professional (Population Reference Bureau, 2004). Further, most rural areas have no access to health care, making residents heavily reliant on “traditional” and often ineffectual folk treatments. Outside of the operations of relig...
Appalachian culture covers thirteen states in Northern America. It is beneficial to medical staff to be familiar with this culture’s beliefs in order to successfully treat their patients. Without knowledge and education of their social status, environment, nutrition, beliefs, and unhealthy habits, the medical staff can fail in treatment and can misdiagnose their patients.
There are many different cultures throughout the world. They each have their own distinct customs and beliefs relating to marriage, rites of passage, conflict resolutions, education etc... The most interesting aspect of each culture is how they incorporate their religious beliefs into the healthcare they receive. Some cultures are not affected by their religious beliefs when dealing with healthcare. They are not regulated in the terms of medical procedures and practices they can obtain from healthcare professionals. However, this is not true for every culture in this world. The Amish and Mennonite culture is depicted upon separating themselves from this world and living a plain life. These two cultures are heavily rooted in their religious beliefs and have tendencies not to stray away from those beliefs regardless of the possible benefits of modern technology. Amish and Mennonite culture may share some similarities, but they have some differences also. A culture’s religious beliefs will be the main determining factor in the healthcare they choose.
Clothing is a necessity that is need throughout life for protection and comfort, especially in a lifestyle that leads one to have direct contact with the outside environment and a life in the fields. With the low income that a sharecropper and his family had to work with, being fashionable was not one of their top priorities. Even having sufficient clothing at all was a struggle for the family. The clothing that they did have was “coarse, crude, and not warm enough” (Gentry 138). The typical attire for men was “denim overalls”, and...
This book addresses one of the common characteristics, and challenges, of health care today: the need to achieve a working knowledge of as many cultures as possible in health care. The Hmong population of Merced, California addresses the collision between Western medicine and holistic healing traditions of the Hmong immigrants, which plays out a common dilemma in western medical centers: the need to integrate modern western medicinal remedies with aspects of cultural that are good for the well-being of the patient, and the belief of the patient’s ability to recuperate. What we see is a clash, or lack of integration in the example of the story thereof. Lia, a Hmong child with a rare form of epilepsy, must enter the western hospital instead of the Laotian forest. In the forest she would seek out herbs to remedy the problems that beset her, but in the west she is forced to enter the western medical hospital without access to those remedies, which provided not only physical but spiritual comfort to those members of the Hmong culture. The herbs that are supposed to fix her spirit in the forest are not available in the western hospital. The Merced County hospital system clashes with Hmong animist traditions.
The first topic that I will cover is about the people that make up the
Certain religious groups reject westernized medicine, like the Amish. Yet, for the most part most religions allow their medicinal practices to work in tandem with westernized medicine. For example, First Nations people tend to have a very holistic view when it comes to their surroundings and medicine. Aboriginal traditional approaches to health and wellness include the use of sacred herbs like sage or tobacco and traditional healers/medicine (pg. 5, Singh, 2009). However, they will not reject help from professionally trained doctors and medical staff. Much like other religions, First Nations put a strong emphasis on family/community. Consensus or decision-making is fairly common for them. A practitioner or medical staff member must remember to respect ceremonial objects such as tobacco or traditional blankets, include immediate family members when making a treatment decision, and to accommodate spiritual practices. Normally, organ donation is accepted UNLESS the organ is being removed from someone who is not deceased. First Nations’ believe that their bo...