Rural Health
The behaviors of indigenous and non-indigenous residents in differ significantly. The indigenous residents are always associated with riskier activities than the non-indigenous. The health status of the indigenous and non-indigenous residents, therefore, vary significantly depending on the activities that the individuals involve themselves in during their day-to-day activities. The indigenous residents are associated with low literacy levels, and hence, maintaining the health status has been a challenge. The cultural practices of the indigenous groups, for example, are a stumbling block to the provision of health care programs. The case of James is an issue involving the non-indigenous resident who has a health insurance cover while Maria is illiterate and does not take the medication with seriousness. The factors affecting the health provision among the indigenous and non-indigenous residents may differ, although as age progresses, the factors tend to become similar, although the non-indigenous residents tend to stay longer than their indigenous counterparts.
The gap between the quality of living standards of the indigenous and non-indigenous residents is wide. The indigenous residents include the Aboriginal people of Australia, and their health standards have been an issue of concern when a comparison is done with the non-indigenous residents. The first issue of concern is the difference of more than 17 years between the life expectancies of the two groups (Moore et al. 2015). An evident difference appears in the case studies provided. James is in his 80s and still able to take care of his health condition. On the other hand, Maria is in her early 60s, but her health has deteriorated and requires special attention. Also, the living standards of the two groups are different. The indigenous groups do not appear to be considerate concerning their health. The non-indigenous groups on the other side are vigilant concerning health, and most of them have purchased insurance covers to cater for the cost of medication. However, the advancement in an age appears to have a similar impact on the medical behavior of the individuals. James, for example, does not accept that he needs help despite his health condition. Also, James accepts treatment as much as his insurance cover is enough to cater for all the costs required. Generally, James does not take the medication with the seriousness deserved, and only his children are concerned. Similarly, Maria appears ignorant of the importance of taking medication seriously. Although Maria does not understand the definitions in the various medicine instructions, she remains reluctant in accepting the help of an interpreter during her clinical appointments.
Scenario 1
James appears to be at an advanced age, and his decision-making ability has gone down. The fact that James is a widower poses a significant challenge in the way James can obtain medical care. The responsibility of children towards their parents’ health appears to be limited to the point where the parent can agree with their decisions. For example, James does not welcome the idea of his children keeping him company despite him being ill. Also, the decision of the children to call for medical help is limited to the cost that James is will to forego for his health. The region of residence is the first obstacle that comes in to make health provision a challenge. James has grown up in the farmhouse and his not familiar with the frequent visits to medical clinics. According to James, health care in Australia is expensive, and he cannot pay any cost beyond what his insurance cover can cater for during the treatment. Therefore, the aged appear to have financial constrains when catering to their health care. The age at which James is currently at maybe a challenge for him in finding money to cater for his health care costs and thus relies purely on the insurance that he had bought earlier. Life in rural areas is associated with several challenges that put the health of the residents at stake.
The rural residents are farmers who are affected by several cultural beliefs and poverty. The rate of poverty in rural areas makes the health of individuals at risk (Gould et al. 2015). First, the provision of social amenities becomes a problem because only a few people in rural areas can manage the cost of social services. The lack of essential social amenities in the rural area poses a serious challenge even to the residents who are in a position to afford the social services. James, for example, has to rely on a medical team from the town at additional costs. Also, the mentality brought about by staying in the rural areas might appear to be the main challenge towards improving the health of the residents. Sensitizing residents to pay for medical services might be a challenge. For example, James is only willing to seek medical help if the insurance company can cater to all the cost involved. James appears to be affected by the fact that rural residents should be offered lenient services and that the provision of services should consider the hardships of staying in rural areas. Further to the hardships of staying in rural areas, several health risks face the rural residents.
Several health risks are associated with life in rural areas. James is an example of the several individuals who are victims of diabetes due to the lifestyles they lead in rural areas. For example, James only manages his farm and does not engage in active farming. Mostly, James makes decisions from his office and lets the employees do the active work. In addition to the limited exercise associated with James’ work, Adrian has taken over the management work, and James has been left with little to do. The nature of the rural life is that the population is scarce and thus no social activities that could motivate individuals to engage in exercise. James has, therefore, ended up being diabetic, and his health is deteriorating. Diabetes is however not the only health condition affecting James. The sleepless nights could be associated with James’ behavior of staying alone after the death of his wife. Loneliness could, at times, accelerate depression where the victim has several issues disturbing their minds. The rural areas provide a quiet environment where an individual could easily fall into over-thinking and depression because no disruptions are in sight (Grant & Greenop, 2018). James does not have companions who would help him to avoid over-thinking and getting stressed, and therefore, his healthy has continued being poor. The economic status could also be another issue of concern when the health of rural residents is in question.
James is a farmer who is always concerned with the performance of his farm. The economic conditions of Australia are his main concern. Also, the caution of remaining productive might give James a lot of pressure given that he had been managing the farm as a sole manager before his son took over. The rural residents are subject to be hit by several economic challenges due to the distance separating them and the markets. James, for example, lives 60 miles from the town. The access to basic needs such as clothing and foodstuffs not produced on the farm comes with additional costs to James. Therefore, James spends more than an urban resident before accessing his basic needs. The case of James, however, presents a group of individuals who have all that is needed for effective medical care but do not see the sense of paying extra costs to get the care. Also, the care appears to come from a specific group of nurses tasked with addressing the problems of home-based patients. James also presents the few rural residents who have attempted to buy insurance cover for their health. Life among the rural residents does not present more opportunities, and the residents are left at the mercies of their caretakers such as children or other relatives.
Alternatively, James may decide to forego the services of the nurses if the cost is high. James may decide to travel to the urban areas to seek medication. Travelling to the urban areas will also expose James to a different environment and will help him in managing his stress. James already has insurance coverage and does not believe that he is supposed to pay more to get medical care and therefore seeking treatment from the urban centers is a wise choice. James has the option of being supported by Adrian and Allison while receiving medical care and should not be obsessed with the desire to struggle through his condition alone.
Scenario 2
Maria presents yet another group of residents who are illiterate and lack basic knowledge of the importance of better health. The general health status of the illiterate population is poor and in a great need for intervention. A large population comprises of individuals without basic education. Also, poor residents do not have insurance coverage and are always burdened when they need medical attention. The rural residents are placed at higher risk of health problems owing to the inequality between them and their indigenous counterparts. Even for the illiterate population, the attempts by medical institutions to provide interpretation are not welcome by the residents. Maria is an example of a resident who believes that medication should only be taken when the individual feels stressed, or the hypertension levels are significantly high. The hypertension condition is caused by the challenges that face Maria for living in the rural area.
The rural residents are a higher risk of being involved in risky activities that could lead them to severe health conditions. The rural areas are exposed to pollution and poor health management systems. Also, the conditions under which residents carry out their day-to-day duties present questionable efforts by the government agencies of reaching out to the residents. Maria represents the group of residents who use foreign languages as their primary languages and thus face a challenge while dealing with Australian officials. The official language in Australia is English, and residents are expected to have at least a basic understanding of English or hire the services of interpreters. Medication instructions are given in English, and therefore, Maria has to attempt to learn English that could help her in understanding the instructions given by medical officers.
Since independence, Australia has witnessed a widening gap between the leaving conditions of the indigenous and non-indigenous groups of people (Smith, 2016). The indigenous people include the Aboriginal who were the most affected people during the colonization era. The confidence of the indigenous people has been an issue of contention with the groups facing challenges while trying to access basic social services such as health care. The lifestyle gap has also not left behind the issue of medical health care gap. Most rural residents do not have access to health care services, and hence, most of them have grown tired of the attempts by the government and other agents to provide health care. Maria, for example, does not appear cooperative in an attempt to help her manage her condition. Instead, Maria decides to take medication according to her schedule and ignores all attempts by her medical officer to find an interpreter for her. The reason as to why Maria is resistant to the medication being given to her may not be clear, but Maria could be said to have been affected by the indigenous people’s mentality. Maria seems to believe that all she needs for recovery is herself and some medicine to swallow when her condition goes beyond manageable levels.
The journey to recovery might be tough for Maria, given her situation. First, the lack of understanding for the regimen might mean that Maria will not consider the dosing as expected. Also, the fact that Maria has rejected the proposal to be assigned to an interpreter also means that Maria will not explain all her problems to the doctors and will also not understand the prescriptions given by the doctors. Therefore, Maria will keep suffering from her condition, and the medical professionals will not be in a position to help her. The inconsistent medication might present serious health problems to Maria also. Maria only swallows medicine when she becomes distressed. Such behaviors lead some diseases to become resistant against medication, and with time, Maria might be unable to control her condition. The condition in which Maria is required quick attention from qualified professionals to help in maintaining her condition at manageable levels. Hypertension is a serious condition that could bring severe results if the patient does not learn how to keep her blood pressure in check.
James and Maria need the services of professionals for their recovery to be effective. Professional medical officers have a better understanding of the factors affecting the various groups of citizens and the options available for the various individuals (Browne et al. 2016). James, for example, needs professional advice concerning the importance of giving his health a priority over managing his farm. At old age, individuals tend to have a different perspective of viewing life. For example, James may not think that seeking medical attention for his condition is more important than ensuring that his farm is running as expected. Also, James may be for the position that Adrian and Allison are not responsible for his wellbeing. Additionally, James might not understand that the insurance company is responsible for the costs that fall within the value covered by the policy purchased. Maria, on the other side has problems in the way she views life. The conduct of Maria does not present an individual who is committed to staying healthy. The fact that Maria has visited several hospitals and her condition has been identified should have served to give her a better experience around medication. Hypertension is a critical condition that requires well-followed medication procedure, and Maria should be careful while dealing with her medication. Professional officers are therefore needed to change the mentalities of the two individuals or to administer alternative medical procedures to the patients. James could, for example, be made to accept the support that his children are willing to offer. Also, the professional can recommend a cheaper treatment option that will fall within James’s insurance cover. Maria on the side needs to be advised on the advantage of having an interpreter. Also, Maria may be sensitized concerning the dangers of inconsistency in taking medication.
In sum, the case of James is an issue involving one among the few residents who have health insurance covers while Maria is illiterate and does not take the medication with seriousness. The factors affecting the health provision among the indigenous and non-indigenous residents may differ, although as age progresses, the factors tend to become similar, although the non-indigenous residents tend to stay longer than their indigenous counterparts. The services of professional officers are required to help James and Maria to change their mentalities towards medication.
References
Browne, A. J., Varcoe, C., Lavoie, J., Smye, V., Wong, S. T., Krause, M., … & Fridkin, A. (2016). Enhancing health care equity with Indigenous populations: evidence-based strategies from an ethnographic study. BMC health services research, 16(1), 544.
Gould, G. S., Watt, K., Cadet-James, Y., & Clough, A. R. (2015). Using the risk behaviour diagnosis scale to understand Australian Aboriginal smoking—a cross-sectional validation survey in regional New South Wales. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 4-9.
Grant, E., & Greenop, K. (2018). Affirming and reaffirming Indigenous presence: Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, public and institutional architecture in Australia. In The handbook of contemporary Indigenous architecture (pp. 57-105). Springer, Singapore.
Moore, S. P., Antoni, S., Colquhoun, A., Healy, B., Ellison-Loschmann, L., Potter, J. D., … & Bray, F. (2015). Cancer incidence in indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA: a comparative population-based study. The Lancet Oncology, 16(15), 1483-1492.
Smith, J. D. (2016). Australia’s rural, remote and Indigenous health. Elsevier Health Sciences.