The strength-based approach in healthcare presumes holistic and human-centered care that draws on the principles promoting self-efficacy, encouragement, and hope. This approach is utilized when a certain community demands to learn to cope with miscellaneous issues, such as independent care provision. Based on the definition of strength-based care, I have chosen the examples that will be discussed below since they correspond to the idea of empowering individuals to perform daily tasks on their own.
Firstly, Family Wellbeing Program aimed to teach the participants from the indigenous communities to manage emotions since some people struggle to express their emotional needs. This example corresponds to the principle of the mentioned holistic approach for it instructs individuals on how to recognize others’ demands and helps them build problem-solving abilities and become resilient (Yarrabah Family Wellbeing Empowerment Program, no date). It also refers to empowerment and the participants can become trainers. The other example is that people are taught how to manage relationships with those suffering from drug or alcohol abuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and other inclinations (McEwan & Tsey, 2009). This part of the program represents the principle of human-centeredness, implying that one can be rescued by discussing their problems with mentally and physically resilient individuals. The last example representing strength-based care is that participants are encouraged to become researchers in the fields of interest. By empowering the students to research acute issues, the program managers boost the self-efficacy of the community members, who will be able to meet residents’ emotional and physical needs in the future.
The healthcare services accessibility has always been a pivotal problem for people residing in indigenous communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents have been struggling to access mainstream medical care since the last century and are still unable to obtain proper treatment. Hayman et a. (2009) identified several crucial factors affecting the problem: financing and distance. Even though the government has implemented major changes to healthcare for indigenous communities, they still cannot receive adequate care.
The major limiting barrier is financing: the government does not provide enough funding to the aboriginal areas. Hence, the healthcare facilities in those regions remain of poor quality or do not exist at all. When no attempts are made to renovate or build hospitals, the health care status of the population declines rapidly (Hayman et al., 2009). Additionally, the government does not fund the professional development of medical workers, thereby making them unable to provide specialized care. This limitation leads to higher morbidity and mortality rates within the community.
The other obstacle is the distance: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing in remote areas. It impedes building new facilities on their lands. Moreover, healthcare professionals often do not live in rural areas, so that it may take a while to get to their workplace. They have to drive to the closest first aid station located miles away whenever someone needs urgent care. There have been numerous attempts to address this issue, and the process is still slow. Thus, new improvement strategies are required to increase the life expectancy of the Australian indigenous population.
Since the healthcare services provision remains a major challenge for Australia’s aboriginal population, there is a need to implement improvement strategies. The primary initiative is to create community-driven programs which would establish healthcare standards in the area (Korff, 2022). This solution needs to be funded by external sources since many aboriginal communities are disadvantaged. These programs aim to promote the importance of health. The other strategy is to encourage residents to participate in physical activity and eat nutritious food by giving relevant examples (Korff, 2022). The chosen trajectory may greatly contribute to developing a healthy lifestyle among indigenous people.
What is more, attracting governmental funding is the other method of improving communication between healthcare facilities and aboriginal people. The finances should be invested in building new healthcare facilities or repairing the existing ones. The healthcare status is utterly dependent on the quality of medical equipment and skilled performance (Korff, 2022). Hence, the subsequent strategy is to train the existing personnel. The training should include theoretical and practical sections where the professionals will learn to provide specialized care. In addition to the chosen approach, residents who have an interest in care provision might be involved in such educational programs. The initiative will halt the mortality rate and increase health awareness. Ultimately, the coordination of medical care should be improved by providing first-aid transport to remote areas. It will ensure better responsiveness of medical services and foster care provision.
References
Hayman, N. E., White, N. E. and Spurling, G. K. (2009) ‘Improving Indigenous patients’ access to mainstream health services: the Inala experience’, The Medical Journal of Australia, 190(10), pp. 604-606. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02581.x
Korff, J. (2022) ‘Successful Aboriginal health solutions’,Creative Spirits.
McEwan, A. and Tsey, K. (2008) The role of spirituality in social and emotional wellbeing initiatives: The Family Wellbeing Program at Yarrabah, Discussion Paper No. 7. Darwin: Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health.
Yarrabah Family Wellbeing Empowerment Program (no date) UniSA. Web.