Native Americans in Long Term Care

Barite Bedasso

HCA 480

April 22, 2016

Native Americans in Long Term Care

My interest in the Native Americans and their culture sprang from the similarity in governance and family roles with my ethnic group in Ethiopia called Oromo. The main similitude of the two cultures is the tribal system. In U.S. the federal government recognizes 566 tribes, and more are recognized at a state level.  Each tribe has unique culture and beliefs, however their values overlap. Their spirituality and ties with mother nature is one that resonates with me since I grew up in a culture that resembles this.  I am currently taking long term care coarse and I wanted to explore if cultural view has influence on where elderly receive care. In this blog. I will address how culture, barrier, and access influences long term care decision for the elderly in Native American community. 

According to Kaiser Family Foundation article, those that self-identify as Native Indian or Alaskan Native or a combination with other race represent 2% of the total U.S. population, that is a total of 5.1 million people that identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native (Kaiser, 2013). Of that 2%, 0.5% is the elderly population of Native Americans that are older than 65 years. By the year 2060, they are projected to grow to 1% of the elderly population in U.S. (DHHS, 2015). That is many people that will require long term care in the Native American community.

Historically, Native American culture were geared toward survival and in order to survive they must stick together in groups. Their view of self is dependent on each other, therefore family interaction was imperative to making important decision such as life choices (Smyer, Stenvig, 2007). It is interesting how culture and family play an important role in making decision for long term care for the elderly people. In Native American community elderly population is respected and regarded as the keepers of tradition and languages. Just like my culture, they are valued part of society that are highly regarded as the wisdom holders. They are valued and honored by their families, and given the option to be cared for in their home. 

Often Native Americans avoid institutional long term care because it is insensitive to their culture. Their preference is to remain at home and be taken care of in the community, however many do not have family support and would therefore need care outside of their community. In order for long term care facilities to serve Native Americans, they need to be competent in their culture. Nursing homes must accommodate them with knowledgeable staff that are aware of their needs and make them comfortable. One way to accommodate Native Americans in the nursing home facilities is providing them with activities that interacts them with their culture. For example, facilities can encourage residents to dress in their cultural dressing, providing them with ethnic foods, and talking to them about their rituals and customs. This will enhance their experience in the nursing facility and make them feel like they are connected to their culture.

Native Americans and Alaskan Natives face many challenges when it comes to health and health care. They have high rate of uninsured individuals, lower access to health care, and overall poor health in their community. The main reason for health barrier in the Native American and Alaskan Natives is lower education level. For Native American and Alaskan Natives health care is provided by U.S. government through Indian Health Services (IHS). Due to lower federal funding and other factors, there is a continued decline in access to care (Kaiser, 2013). Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Native Americans have a chance to increase coverage and reduce the health care gaps they face. 

References

Artiga, S., Arguello, R., & Duckett, P. (2013, October 07). Health Coverage and Care for

American Indians and Alaska Natives – Issue Brief. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://kff.org/report-section/health-coverage-and-care-for-american-indians-and-alaska-natives-issue-brief/ 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015, September). Administration on Aging

(AoA). Retrieved April 25, 2016, from http://www.aoa.acl.gov/Aging_Statistics/minority_aging/Facts-on-AINA-Elderly2008-plain_format.aspx 

Kramer, B. (., Creekmur, B., Cote, S., & Saliba, D. (2015). Improving Access to Noninstitutional

Long-Term Care for American Indian Veterans. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, 63(4), 789-796. doi:10.1111/jgs.13344

Jervis, L. L., Jackson, M. Y., & Manson, S. M. (2002). Need for, Availability of, and Barriers to the

Provision of Long-Term Care Services for Older American Indians. Journal Of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 17(4), 295.

Tish, Smyer. 2007. "Health Care for American Indian Elders: An Overview of Cultural Influences

and Policy Issues." Home Health Care Management & Practice 20, no. 1: 27-33. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 25, 2016).