scholarly journals A Qualitative Analysis of the Accessibility and Connection to Traditional Food for Aboriginal Chronic Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau Cubillo ◽  
Julia McCartan ◽  
Christine West ◽  
Julie Brimblecombe
Keyword(s):  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Maintenance Hemodialysis ◽  
Renal Unit ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Urban City ◽  
Strongly Connected

ABSTRACT Background Due to the lack of resources in remote Aboriginal communities within the Northern Territory of Australia, Aboriginal people requiring chronic maintenance hemodialysis often must relocate from their home communities to Darwin city permanently to receive ongoing care. This phenomenon can cause distressing isolation from important traditional food, land, and family. Objective The aim was to identify the relation to traditional food from an Aboriginal perspective and the enablers and barriers to accessing traditional food post-relocation from remote regions of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the urban city of Darwin. Methods This was a qualitative study design with a total of 12 Aboriginal participants (4 males, 8 females) receiving ongoing hemodialysis at the Nightcliff Renal Unit. Participants had all relocated from a remote region to Darwin. Interviews were conducted between July and September 2018 in Darwin, Australia. Data interpretation was conducted by an Aboriginal researcher and co-authors with a combined 30 y of experience conducting research with Aboriginal people in a health context. Data analysis comprised an inductive thematic analysis approach with an indigenist knowledge interpretation lens to construct, reaffirm, and protect Indigenous views. Results Traditional food was an important part of participants’ identity and strongly connected to social, emotional, spiritual and physical health, and well-being. Access to traditional food post-relocation is associated with enablers and barriers including mobility, local knowledge, social support networks, commercial access, and economics. Conclusions Dialysis patients who are dislocated from remote Aboriginal communities to Darwin experience clear disruption to traditional food access, consumption, availability, and knowledge dissemination to the younger generations.

scholarly journals Traditional food availability and consumption in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Ferguson ◽  
Clare Brown ◽  
Claire Georga ◽  
Edward Miles ◽  
Alyce Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Aboriginal Communities

The Koori Growing Old Well Study: investigating aging and dementia in urban Aboriginal Australians

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1033-1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kylie Radford ◽  
Holly A. Mack ◽  
Hamish Robertson ◽  
Brian Draper ◽  
Simon Chalkley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Aboriginal Australians ◽  
South Wales

ABSTRACTBackground:Dementia is an emerging health priority in Australian Aboriginal communities, but substantial gaps remain in our understanding of this issue, particularly for the large urban section of the population. In remote Aboriginal communities, high prevalence rates of dementia at relatively young ages have been reported. The current study is investigating aging, cognitive decline, and dementia in older urban/regional Aboriginal Australians.Methods:We partnered with five Aboriginal communities across the eastern Australian state of New South Wales, to undertake a census of all Aboriginal men and women aged 60 years and over residing in these communities. This was followed by a survey of the health, well-being, and life history of all consenting participants. Participants were also screened using three cognitive instruments. Those scoring below designated cut-offs, and a 20% random sample of those scoring above (i.e. “normal” range), completed a contact person interview (with a nominated family member) and medical assessment (blind to initial screening results), which formed the basis of “gold standard” clinical consensus determinations of cognitive impairment and dementia.Conclusion:This paper details our protocol for a population-based study in collaboration with local Aboriginal community organizations. The study will provide the first available prevalence rates for dementia and cognitive impairment in a representative sample of urban Aboriginal people, across city and rural communities, where the majority of Aboriginal Australians live. It will also contribute to improved assessment of dementia and cognitive impairment and to the understanding of social determinants of successful aging, of international significance.

Aboriginal Studies at Year 12 in South Australia and Northern Territory

1989 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 21-26
Author(s):  
Adele Pring
Keyword(s):  
Aboriginal People ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Form ◽  
Senior Secondary

Aboriginal Studies is now being taught at Year 12 level in South Australian schools as an externally moderated, school assessed subject, accredited by the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia.It is a course in which students learn from Aboriginal people through their literature, their arts, their many organizations and from visiting Aboriginal communities. Current issues about Aborigines in the media form another component of the study.

scholarly journals Smoking Kills

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-10
Author(s):  
Greg Blyton
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Smoking ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Contact Period ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Early Colonial ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Hunter Region ◽  
Colonial Contact ◽  
The Impact

This paper brings to the reader‟s attention a history of tobacco smoking that arguably had a negative effect on the health of Aboriginal communities in the Hunter region of central eastern New South Wales during the early colonial contact period from 1800 to 1850. Furthermore, it will also be shown that tobacco was used by colonists to engage the services of Aboriginal people, not only in Aboriginal communities in the Hunter region, but further afield across many other frontiers of colonial expansion in Australia in the 19th century. It will be demonstrated through primary archival and secondary sources that colonists utilised tobacco as a coercive agent to appease, befriend, pacify, coerce and remunerate Aboriginal People, resulting in widespread addiction. It is argued that tobacco smoking not only undermined the health of traditional communities, but also this unhealthy habit has been largely overlooked in measurements of the impact of colonization on the health of Indigenous people. While historians widely acknowledge that exotic diseases such as smallpox had a negative effect on the health of Aboriginal People, it is rarely considered in contemporary historical accounts that tobacco had an even more insidious effect on the well being of Aboriginal societies during the early colonial contact period. Furthermore, while diseases such as smallpox have hopefully disappeared forever, health destroyers like tobacco have endured and continue to impact on Aboriginal health. Finally, this paper recognises the enormity of challenges faced by health authorities, and indeed Indigenous Australians, in contemporary society in combating a chronic problem that has been embedded in Aboriginal post-colonial culture during the long course of European occupation.

Social implications of bridging the gap through ‘caring for country’ in remote Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Gorman ◽  
Sivaram Vemuri
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Fee For Service ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Service Contracts

‘Caring for country’ is a term used to describe the complex spiritual affiliation that encompasses the rights and responsibilities that Aboriginal Australians have with their land. It includes their custodial responsibilities for keeping the land healthy and its species abundant. This ontology and associated practice of ‘caring for country’ continues across large sections of the Northern Territory of Australia through customary practice and through the Indigenous Ranger Program. This Program has been described as a ‘two toolbox approach’, which combines traditional ecological knowledge with more conventional land management practice, to manage landscapes for their natural and cultural values. Since 2007 there have been several policy initiatives which have changed the dynamics in Aboriginal communities which in turn has affected the structure of the Indigenous Ranger Program. In response to the dire social conditions facing Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, the Commonwealth Government initiated the Northern Territory Emergency Response, which was a ‘top down’ approach with very little community engagement. At around the same time there was a shift in the way Indigenous Rangers jobs were funded. The unintended impact of this was a reduction in the number of Aboriginal people connected to the Ranger Program and potentially less input from culturally appropriate decision makers for land management. Another influencing policy change involved a shift in Commonwealth funding for land management from Natural Heritage Trust to Caring For Our Country funding. This new funding is more targeted and has changed the nature of the Ranger Program to being less ‘program based’ and more ‘outcome based’ by packaging many land management activities as ‘Fee for Service’ contracts. The transformation is taking place in a prescriptive manner. In this paper we advocate a more community-based approach which allows for greater community involvement in planning, decision making and governance.

scholarly journals The Well-Being of Carers of Older Aboriginal People Living in the Kimberley Region of Remote Western Australia: Empowerment, Depression, and Carer Burden

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346481989866
Author(s):  
Dina LoGiudice ◽  
Cathryn M. Josif ◽  
Roslyn Malay ◽  
Zoë Hyde ◽  
Melissa Haswell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Aboriginal Australians ◽  
Carer Burden ◽  
The Mean

Objective: To describe demographic features and well-being of carers of Aboriginal Australians aged ≥45 years in remote Western Australia. Method: Carer burden, empowerment, and depression were assessed in 124 Aboriginal carers in four remote Aboriginal communities. Results: Carers were aged 38.8 ± 15.0 years, 73.4% were female, and 75.8% were children or grandchildren of the person cared for. The mean Zarit-6 score was 3.7 ± 3.6. Attending high school (odds ratio [OR] = 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.1, 0.7]) and feeling empowered (OR = 0.2; 95% CI = [0.1, 0.8]) were inversely associated with carer burden; female carers were less likely to feel empowered (OR = 0.4; 95% CI = [0.2, 0.9]); and empowerment was inversely associated with depression (OR = 0.3; 95% CI = [0.1, 0.7]). Discussion: Aboriginal carers in remote communities are relatively young and most are children or grandchildren. Carer burden was lower than anticipated. However, existing tools may not adequately measure Aboriginal perspectives. Education and empowerment are key factors which support programs must consider.

scholarly journals The Northern Territory Emergency Response: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Watson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
The Law ◽  
Aboriginal Lands

The Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) was a raft of measures introduced by the Commonwealth of Australia in response to allegations of child sexual abuse in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.  The measures included the compulsory acquisition of Aboriginal lands, the quarantining of welfare payments, prohibitions on alcohol, and the vesting of expansive powers in the Commonwealth Minister to intervene in the affairs of Aboriginal organizations.  This article aims to provide a brief historical background of Aboriginal people's experiences with the law in Australia, discuss certain provisoins of the NTER, and, finally, examine the consequences three years after the implementation of the NTER.  Through this analysis, the author suggests that history remains a powerful influence, resulting in the NTER being based on assumptions of Aboriginal people that are grounded in a racist past.  Further, independent studies have shown that the NTER has been largely ineffective at accomplishing its stated objectives.

scholarly journals REVIEW: Intervention in Aboriginal communities examined

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 238-241
Author(s):  
Bonita Mason
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
The Past ◽  
Indigenous Australia ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

‘And there’ll be NO dancing’: Perspectives on policies impacting Indigenous Australia since 2007, edited by Elisabeth Baehr and Barbara Schmidt-Haberkamp. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017. 354 pp.  ISBN 9781443898638 ‘THE PAST is now with us; it never went away.’ The 2007 Intervention into the lives of Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory was a low point in the relationship between the Australian government and Indigenous people. As one of the Aboriginal authors in No Dancing, Warraimay historian Victoria Grieves puts it, the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), as the Intervention was officially known, ‘leaves no doubt about the relationship of Aboriginal people to the settler colonial state’ (p.  89).

Narratives and processes – Developing a responsive parent–child program to empower local facilitators in a remote Aboriginal community

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502199241
Author(s):  
Carolin Stock ◽  
Maggie Kerinaiua Punguatji ◽  
Carmen Cubillo ◽  
Gary Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Play Therapy ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Parenting Program ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Aboriginal Community ◽  
Parenting Support ◽  
Pilot Implementation ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Parent Child

This article presents the results of a retrospective study that critically examines the development of a responsive parent–child program from conceptualisation to pilot implementation. The development of the Play to Connect program was a continuation of research translation work of the Let’s Start parenting program which was delivered in remote Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory, Australia from 2005–2016. The impetus for the Play to Connect program came from the community need for parenting support that could be delivered by local Aboriginal workers living in the community. The aim was to bring research and community together through the co-creation of contextually relevant knowledge directly useful for local Aboriginal facilitators. Embedded in a dynamic cycle of planning, delivery, observation and reflection, the team of local Aboriginal staff and visiting practitioners designed and piloted an innovative, user-friendly and adaptable parent–child program which was underpinned by the evaluation findings of an existing program, drawing on the framework of play therapy. The 2.5 year long process of development brought about action and change for the local Aboriginal staff. They valued the co-creation of the program and resources and reported increased knowledge of child development and confidence to deliver family support in their community. This study shows that the development of Play to Connect was more than “tailoring” a parenting program – it was a way of creating sustainable support around a program to increase the chances of continuity of implementation and successful community engagement and development.

Empowerment is the Basis for Improving Education and Employment Outcomes for Aboriginal People in Remote Australia

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-161
Author(s):  
Byron Wilson ◽  
Tammy Abbott ◽  
Stephen J. Quinn ◽  
John Guenther ◽  
Eva McRae-Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Aboriginal Community ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Shared Space ◽  
English Literacy ◽  
Education And Employment

In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people score poorly on national mainstream indicators of wellbeing, with the lowest outcomes recorded in remote communities. As part of a ‘shared space’ collaboration between remote Aboriginal communities, government and scientists, the holistic Interplay Wellbeing Framework and accompanying survey were designed bringing together Aboriginal priorities of culture, empowerment and community with government priorities of education, employment and health. Quantitative survey data were collected from a cohort of 841 Aboriginal people aged 15–34 years, from four different Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal community researchers designed and administered the survey. Structural equation modelling was used to identify the strongest interrelating pathways within the framework. Optimal pathways from education to employment were explored with the concept of empowerment playing a key role. Here, education was defined by self-reported English literacy and numeracy and empowerment was defined as identity, self-efficacy and resilience. Empowerment had a strong positive impact on education (β = 0.38, p < .001) and strong correlation with employment (β = 0.19, p < .001). Education has a strong direct effect on employment (β = 0.40, p < .001). This suggests that education and employment strategies that foster and build on a sense of empowerment are mostly likely to succeed, providing guidance for policy and programs.

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