The Doomadgee community, located in North West Queensland, is one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia. The social, historical, and political context of this community has significantly impacted the health experiences and outcomes of its residents. In this essay, we will discuss the various factors that have led to these issues and suggest two principles of culturally safety that could have been utilized to improve the health outcomes of Betty Booth, a member of the Doomadgee community.
Social Context
The social context of the Doomadgee community is characterized by high levels of poverty and unemployment, inadequate housing, and limited access to education and health care. These factors have contributed to a wide range of health
…show more content…
The forced removal of children from their families, known as the Stolen Generations, has had a particularly devastating impact on the Indigenous community, leading to intergenerational trauma and loss of identity. In addition, the policies of assimilation, which were in place until the 1970s, aimed to force Indigenous Australians to abandon their cultural practices and adopt Western ways of life. This has resulted in a loss of traditional knowledge and practices, which has impacted the community's ability to maintain good health and …show more content…
Indigenous Australians have been subjected to decades of policies and practices that have stripped them of their autonomy and decision-making power. The Doomadgee community has been subject to policies such as the Northern Territory Intervention, which was implemented in 2007 and aimed to address issues such as child abuse and neglect, alcoholism, and unemployment in Indigenous communities. However, the policy was highly criticized for being imposed without consultation or consent, and for being paternalistic and discriminatory. The policy had a significant impact on the community's trust in government institutions, including health care providers, and contributed to further marginalization and disempowerment of the community.
To improve health outcomes in the Doomadgee community, it is crucial to address the social, historical, and political factors that have led to health inequities. One approach to achieving this is through the principles of culturally safe health care. Culturally safe health care refers to health care that is respectful, inclusive, and appropriate for Indigenous Australians and their communities. Two principles of culturally safe health care that could have been utilized to improve Betty Booth's health outcomes are the principle of cultural responsiveness and the principle of
Further disconnection occurred because the children were automatically made ‘wards of the state’ (Hegarty 1999: 20). However, the impact of the regulations; to their freedom, way of life, and structure of the family unit as Indigenous Queenslanders; became evident after they had entered the reserve (Hegarty 1999: 12; Donovan 2008:
Historic trauma stems from relocation, disease, residential schools, the Indian Act, and racial policies meant to assimilate and eradicate Aboriginal people (First Nations Health Council, 2011). Contact between Aboriginal Peoples and non-Aboriginals facilitated the spread of epidemic diseases which lead to the Aboriginal population collapse (First Nations Health Council, 2011). Daschuk, Hackett and MacNeil (2006) note that different severities of diseases experienced by First Nations were directly related to the new realities of the First Nations peoples as they struggled to adapt to the world of the colonisers including economic dislocation, political changes, and changes from traditional diets all created the perfect environment for breading diseases. The government and churches actively colonized and controlled Aboriginal peoples by eroding all Aboriginal systems including “spirituality, political authority, education, health care systems, land and resource access, and cultural practices” (First Nations Health Council, 2011, p. 13). It is important to recognize that colonial structures have purposely sought to “eliminate Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous governments and Indigenous constitutional orders” (Ladner, 2009, p. 90).
Under the Act, Indigenous people were forcibly removed from their traditional lands and relocated to reserves, often far from their original homes and communities. This practise of forced relocation disrupted Indigenous societies and resulted in the loss of traditional languages, cultures and ways of life (Wilson, n.d.). Forced relocation also had negative impacts on Indigenous people's health and wellbeing. The trauma and stress of being forced to leave their homes and communities led to an increased risk of mental health issue’s such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Indigenous people who were relocated to unfamiliar areas also had to adapt to new environments and resources, which often led to poverty and malnutrition (Onderkova,2015).
Cultural safety is about helping to create an environment that respects Aboriginal/Torre 's strait islander 's cultures and therefore encourages positive cultural identity. The ability to help create a safe environment free from racism, violence or stereotypes is crucial in helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people thrive. It is important to recognize the disadvantages and imbalances these people face, especially in health and social situations, which is why sometimes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need to be treated differently to non-indigenous people in order to be treated
Health outcomes refers to the effect healthcare activities have on an individual, group or population. It 's evident that even with the presence of anti-discrimination and equal opportunities legislation, Indigenous Australians have inferior health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. The dissimilarities in health status between Native and non-Native Australians are closely linked with the allocation of health determinants such as income levels and housing conditions, education levels and access to healthcare services. Income levels and housing conditions can easily be identified as an important determinant of health. Many health outcomes, including life expectancy and infant mortality can be associated with inequalities of income distribution
Colonialism has been a huge factor that has and will attempt to make aboriginal people conform to new cultural norms. Residential schools have been the most well-known way as to how colonialism affected these people. What society is not aware of is the cruelty of hospitalization of aboriginals, where unethical procedures took place using them as subjects without consent. As Dr Geddes stated during his lecture, the Canadian health care system has racism embedded in it. Stripping indigenous people of the proper health care which they have the right to receive, but kept from due to their racial status.
The government’s resolution was to withdraw the policy of protection and instead adopt an integration or assimilationist approach. Assimilation Policies aimed at absorbing part-Aboriginal people into white society through the process of removing children from their families with the overall intent to destroy Aboriginal society. The primary idea of the assimilation policy was that Indigenous Australians could enjoy the same living standards as white Australians if they adopted their customs and beliefs. Not only did assimilation destroy Indigenous identity and culture but it was the governments justification for the dispossession of Indigenous people and the removal of Indigenous children from their parents. The devastating impact this policy had on families and culture continues to affect Indigenous people today.
For example, due to the hardship in accessing healthcare, many indigenous people face much more health issues and are at greater risk of getting chronic illnesses such as malnutrition, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, High blood pressure, and mental health issues.4 Studies have also found that one in ten indigenous people have arthritis, diabetes or asthma and are 20% more likely to have chronic conditions compared to non-indigenous people.5 This shows the dire circumstances of this issue and how the inaccessibility to healthcare that indigenous people have, has led them to face much more health issues and as result also have lower life expectancies. This shows, the significance as it places a moral and ethical responsibility on society and the government to solve and address this issue, as people's lives are being impacted negatively every single day that it goes unaddressed, hence its
The impact of ethnic inequality has been detrimental to indigenous Australians, with the consequences of internal colonialism still affecting them today (text). Loss of language and Dreamtime stories have meant that they have had to rebuild their identity and break free from British oppression by banding together to create stronger communities. Indigenous Australians who live in rural areas of Australia have fewer opportunities when it comes to education, employment, healthcare and housing (text pg. 350). These issues can be once again linked back to the systems that are in place within the country, the way the government approaches these issues in regards to indigenous welfare is problematic. In 2015, the Abbott government supported the decision
Indigenous populations in Canada face severe disadvantages related to their health. The racism that Indigenous people face is further compounded by the disadvantages that women face making the situation even for difficult for Indigenous women. With this said Indigenous women do share many issues with the rest of the Aboriginal population as a result of colonization, loss of land, forced time in Indian Residential Schools, loss of language, and racial, political, and economic marginalization (McNab). Furthermore, Indigenous peoples in remote communities face the difficulty of lacking access to healthcare, education, employment, and income equality (McNab). Indigenous women face a unique combination of oppression through their intersectionality
Aboriginal identity, mental health and suicide rates were outlined throughout this analysis along with the disgusting lack of government aid. As stated above, the aboriginals from the Kattawapiskak River have a strong sense of identity. The persons on these reserves are proud of their traditions and practice resilience in their faith and values, however, the physical and emotional pain these people are put through will soon break their spirits. They can only ask for help from the government so many times before it will be too
In order for indigenous people to be in control of their own health, these practices have to become more relevant and integrated into Canada's healthcare practices in a respectful, nonjudgmental way, which has impacted the Canadian healthcare system as new training measurements have been put in place to meet the needs of Canada's indigenous population. Healthcare providers now have to undergo unique, cultural-specific protocols and training measurements as well as receive historical background information to best understand their patients and provide care in a culturally safe and inclusive way. Despite these efforts, there is still much work to be done to address health inequities in Indigenous communities. One of the main challenges facing the healthcare system is the ongoing legacy of
The Aborigines Act was one of the most horrific acts of hatred and racism to ever commence in history, and has affected generations of Indigenous Australians, and will continue to affect several generations of Indigenous Australians to come. It led to decades of generational trauma, an irreversible loss of cultural identities within society, and ongoing educational and occupational inequalities. Mistreated children often grow up to have children of their own, who are often mistreated due to their parent’s trauma. This is called Generational Trauma, which can impact several generations of children, often called a ‘cycle of abuse’, much like a ripple effect. In other words, Generational Trauma involves the transmission of trauma from one generation
Cultural safety could be a thought that emerged within the late Eighties as a framework for the delivery of additional acceptable health services and is drawn from the work of Maori nurses in New Zealand. Additional recently it 's become recognized that the thought is helpful all told health care settings irrespective of indigenous matter peoples. Cultural safety is regarding making associate setting wherever the Aboriginal or Torres Strait inhabitant person isn 't solely treated well and during a culturally respectful manner, however they 're conjointly actively participate in interactions, basic cognitive process they 're valued, understood and brought seriously and supported to hold out culturally important tasks as a part of service delivery. A ordinarily used definition of cultural safety is
The problem appears to become evident right from birth with aboriginal woman twice as likely as non-indigenous woman to have a stillborn baby and twice as likely to give birth to an underweight baby (ed. Healey 2000, p.4). During the period between 1991 and 1996, life expectancy for indigenous people was around 20 years than that of their non-indigenous counterparts. The lives of indigenous people are affected by many other health factors, one of most concern is alcohol related problems that impact on their well-being, family structure, and even aboriginal traditional life because they tend to drink more haphazardly. Some of the health risks to which indigenous people are exposed can be attributed the differences between the health of indigenous and non-indigenous people.