Introduction to indigenous Australia Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Introduction to indigenous Australia. Answer: The aboriginals of Australia had been subjected to disparities in terms of health care, economy, education and unemployment. In order to address their grievances and the health care needs the nurses should be acquainted with the history of their colonization and culture. This essay describes about the importance of learning about the aboriginal history in the nursing context. In accordance to that the paper will also throw light upon the health care beliefs and the current government policies regarding the aboriginal population. The chosen profession of this essay is the nurses. The nurses and the midwives seeking employment in the primary health care may be presented with wide range of qualifications, experiences and scopes of practice. Yet much health care gaps are left while catering to the needs of the individuals belonging to culturally diverse background. Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care to people irrespective of the race, case, creed and communities (Macaulay, 2009). Provision of health care to the culturally diverse aboriginals has long been a challenging task for the departments of health and the health care professionals (Stansfield and Browne 2013). In order to provide a comprehensive care to the residents of the Torrait Strait Islanders and the aboriginals, what is needed is to understand their cultural diversity and their traditional way of living. Nurses and the health care professionals are entitled to provide a culturally safe care to the aboriginal community (Wilson and Cardwell 2012). The SCS130 course- Introduction to the indigenous Australia helps in exploring the cultural and the historical factors that shaped the lives of the aboriginals living in the colonial settlement and how they became a national issue. The course has helped us to engage with the indigenous sources. This course helps to critically analyze the main impact of the indigenous knowledge on the profession of nursing. The non aboriginal health cares workers need to understand how the aboriginal health care professionals interpret their illness or how do they use their traditional methods of illness (Stansfield and Browne 2013). It is necessary for the nurses and the other health care professionals to understand how the aboriginals respond to the westernized types of treatments. It has been found that the life expectancy of the aboriginals is much less than that of the general population. This condition reflects the history of the aboriginals as well as the different social determinants of health. According to Wilson and Cardwell (2012) aboriginal individuals display ill health, overcrowded housing, polluted water, poverty, inadequate schooling. In order to deliver proper health care to the aboriginals one should understand the reasons behind the conditions. It is understood that health encompasses physical, emotional and spiritual well being (Cameron et al. 2012). In order to accomplish that it is required to understand the multigenerational legacies of colonization, the importance of the local history, to respect the traditional beliefs of health practices, to develop a sense of acceptance towards their culture to provide a culturally safe care (Douglas 2013). Nurses have to develop skills in providing primary and acute health care services in stages of li fe such as childhood, pregnancy and adolescence. Nurses are the one to promote a healthy ageing to the aboriginal population. Hence this course would help to develop knowledge of regarding the indigenous health and the well being. It helps to understand the physical, biological, psychosocial factors that influence the health and the well being of the aboriginals. The study helps to understand the use of the bush medicine, provision of the traditional healers among the aboriginals (Oliver 2013). Bush medicines like herbal preparations, rest, aromatherapy, restricted diet and external remedies like smoke, steam, heat and ochre are used. According to the Oliver (2013) the traditional health beliefs of the indigenous people are interconnected with land, religion and the kingship obligations. Literatures suggest that supernatural interventions were considered as a part of reality of the aboriginal culture. The death of a child, old people were considered to be normal, whereas the other u nnatural deaths are considered to have a supernatural influence. Oliver (2013) shows that some of the traditional medicines really posses some therapeutic properties and a knowledge of the health beliefs would assist a nurse in perceiving the extent of superstition and the usefulness of the traditional medicines. The study of the aboriginal Australia in the course module will help a nurse to understand the current health care initiatives that has been taken to cover the health gap of the indigenous people. The council of the Australian government have established the closing the gap policy for reducing the life expectancy gap, the mortality among the aboriginal children, closing the gap with respect of aboriginal education and employment (Pmc.gov.au, 2018). The study helps one to understand the Indigenous Australian's health programs regarding the cessation of the tobacco usage and drugs to promote a healthy living. The learning also provides with the information about the NSW abori ginal health plan (Pmc.gov.au, 2018). A vivid knowledge of the initiatives and the actual fact sheets would help a nurse to indentify the gaps and the loops left in the health care sector centering the aboriginals. The aboriginal history consists of the Indian act 1876, with the incidence of loss of land and the traditional livelihood of the aboriginals and recent colonization via negative stereotyping (Anderson and Kowal 2012). As per the history, residential school system was established by the federal government and the children were kept in the boarding schools (Australianstogether.org.au, 2018). The aboriginal kids were prohibited to speak in their own language and were abused socially, emotionally and sexually. There was a loss of trust, language and the legacy. There was a destruction of self esteem, tradition and reliance on the federal government. Many adults turned to alcohol and drugs due to the destruction of self esteem and for the removal of the mental trauma (Anderson and Kowal 2012). In order to understand the perceptions of the aboriginals of Australia it is necessary to have a clear understanding of their history of colonization (Australianstogether.org.au, 2018). A clear know ledge of the aboriginal culture is necessary to adapt their treatment plans and the education programs. According to the aboriginal history, the aboriginal people are faced with inequality, racism and violence from time immemorial (Douglas 2013). Hence it is evident that most of the aboriginals still hesitate to approach the non aboriginal health care. A nurse should try their best to approach a holistic way of approaching the aboriginal patients in order to create a non hostile environment for them. The social and the economic impact behind the control of the aboriginal population have long been accumulated generations after generations. The population who were not directly impacted by the invasion was also perturbed by the legacy left behind (Douglas 2013). The devastating effects passed from generations to generation. For examples one during the colonial rule the aboriginals were not allowed in the public spaces, barred from educational institutions, forced to work in the homes o f the non- aboriginals (Anderson and Kowal 2012). Population displacement, prejudices, disposition of the land has always haunted the aboriginal community. All these can be held responsible for their poor health status, economy, and housing. Deliver of care to the aboriginals involves maintenance of cultural safety and ethics. The western health care professionals face difficulties in service delivery to the aboriginal people due to the health care disparity between the aboriginal and the western health care beliefs (Chattopadhyay and De Vries, 2013). The concept of the cultural safety empowers the nurses to provide a safe care to the patients. These involve protection, participation and partnership (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2018). In general the dominant cultural group takes up health care practices that might not be suitable for the aboriginals. Cultural safety is important in midwifery practice as it encompasses the relationship between the midwife and a woman (Chattopadhyay and De Vries, 2013). It as to be remembered that most of the aboriginals families are extremely community and family oriented. It is the duty of a nurse to accept all the cultural differences in the wo men and would appropriately respond to the cultural expectation of the woman (Gerlach 2012). Culturally safe care puts the woman at the centre of the midwifery care by determining her needs and establishing the collaborative relationships build on trust. A culturally safe care strategy includes incorporation of optimal communication, acknowledging the cultural preferences of the women (Gerlach 2012). For example, aboriginal women might find it difficult to comprehend difficult English. Hence in such cases slow and simple English can be used. Sentences can be broken down into small fragments for them to understand. In many cases foreign language interpreters can be used (Gerlach 2012). It can be seen that in many cases individuals with different culture avoid eye contact or direct contact with the eyes can be considered as an act of disrespect towards the elders (Thackrah and Thompson, 2013). A culture might prohibit the involvement of the male health care professionals as women from diverse cultural background might not find it comfortable in sharing the birthing information or other gynecological problems with any opposite gender. Their emotional stress can be mitigated by appointing female nurses or midwives. The ethics in aboriginal health care involves autonomy, where patients can take decisions (Chattopadhyay and De Vries, 2013). Nurses should advocate the patients do decide the care for them. The aboriginal culture is distinctive in its practice of oral communication (Humanrights.gov.au, 2018). The Australian human rights commission works for the age discrimination, the asylum seekers and the refugees, disability rights, children rights, sex discrimination. It addresses all the legal rights of the aboriginal in terms of health care, professional and other social issues. Sympathetic and respectful communications helps the aboriginal people to rely on the non aboriginal care (Australianstogether.org.au, 2018). The essay could successfully depict the aboriginal history and its importance in the profession of nursing. It also helps to understand how the aboriginal culture compliment the health care challenges that they face. Finally it also helps to point out the issues of ethics and awareness of cultural differences and diversity. References Anderson, H. and Kowal, E., 2012. 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Understanding inequalities in access to health care services for Aboriginal people: a call for nursing action.Advances in Nursing Science,37(3), pp.E1-E16. https://journals.lww.com/advancesinnursingscience/pdf/2014/07000/Understanding_Inequalities_in_Access_to_Health.13.aspx Chattopadhyay, S. and De Vries, R., 2013. Respect for cultural diversity in bioethics is an ethical imperative.Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy,16(4), pp.639-645. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11019-012-9433-5 Douglas, V., 2013.Introduction to Aboriginal health and health care in Canada: Bridging health and healing. Springer Publishing Company. Gerlach, A.J., 2012. A critical reflection on the concept of cultural safety.Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy,79(3), pp.151-158. Humanrights.gov.au. (2018). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice | Australian Human Rights Commission. [online] Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice [Accessed 24 Mar. 2018]. Macaulay, A. C., 2009. Improving aboriginal health: How can health care professionals contribute? Canadian Family Physician, 55(4), 334336. https://www.cfp.ca/content/cfp/55/4/334.full.pdf Oliver, S.J., 2013. The role of traditional medicine practice in primary health care within Aboriginal Australia: a review of the literature.Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine,9(1), p.46. https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4269-9-46 Pmc.gov.au. (2018).Policies and strategies | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework 2014 Report. [online] Available at: https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/indigenous/Health-Performance-Framework-2014/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health-performance-framework-2014-report/policies-and.html [Accessed 22 Mar. 2018]. Stansfield, D. Browne, A. (2013). The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge for Nursing Curriculum. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 10(1), pp. 143-151. Retrieved 26 Mar. 2018, from doi:10.1515/ijnes-2012-0041. https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/ijnes.2013.10.issue-1/ijnes-2012-0041/ijnes-2012-0041.xml Thackrah, R.D. and Thompson, S.C., 2013. Confronting uncomfortable truths: receptivity and resistance to Aboriginal content in midwifery education.Contemporary nurse,46(1), pp.113-122. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.5172/conu.2013.46.1.113 Wilson, K. and Cardwell, N., 2012. Urban Aboriginal health: Examining inequalities between Aboriginal and non?Aboriginal populations in Canada.The Canadian Geographer/Le Gographe Canadien,56(1), pp.98-116. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1541-0064.2011.00397.x