Key resources
Bibliography
Health promotion
Yarning places
message stick
Programs
Organisations
Conferences
Courses
Funding
Jobs
Key resources
Print
The Caring for older Australians: inquiry report follows the Government's request for the Productivity Commission to develop detailed options for redesigning Australia's aged care system in order to meet the challenges facing it in coming decades. The report includes the Commission's recommendations along with a summary of the reforms proposed based on consultations with older Australians, their carers, aged care providers, government agencies and other interested parties. The report also provides an overview of the diversity in the demand for aged care services with a chapter on evaluating how well aged care services are being delivered in ways that meet the needs and preferences of clients from specific groups, including Indigenous people. Principles of a reformed aged care system identified as critical to the establishment of culturally secure services specific to Indigenous Australians included factors relevant to attracting and retaining Indigenous workers to provide culturally appropriate services, use of culturally appropriate assessment tools, and support to develop service capacity appropriate to meet Indigenous clients specific needs.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
This publication is a literature review concerning dementia in the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population for the years 2006-2009. The review was undertaken as a result of an emerging public health concern for the increased prevalence of dementia in remote indigenous communities; in particular the data collected for the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The literature reviewed established that: the prevalence of dementia in the Australian Indigenous population is five times the rate for the non-Indigenous population; dementia presents at an earlier age in the Indigenous population; the perception of dementia is different across communities and situations, it is often not viewed as a medical condition; the health and social conditions Indigenous people currently experience puts them at a greater risk of developing dementia compared to non-Indigenous people; and access to services are problematic due to a lack of transport and services which take into consideration language, cultural or other circumstances unique to Indigenous people and their communities.
The review demonstrates the importance of establishing a framework for addressing dementia in the Indigenous population that is culturally appropriate and within a historical context. The review highlights the gaps in knowledge pertaining to dementia in the Indigenous population.
Finally the report makes recommendations based on the findings of the literature review emphasising that research is needed on Indigenous people's understanding of dementia, the role of carers and the impact on their wellbeing, identification and assessment and best practice models of care and services.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Australia's health 2010 was released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare as the twelfth edition of its biennial national health report. The report shows that Australia is one of the healthiest nations in the world, with most Australians generally have good health and access to a range of good health care services, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to have much poorer health than the general population.
Health information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is included in various sections of the report but particularly in chapter 5.1 which compiles information about demographic profiles, health status, disability rates and service use. The section highlights that Indigenous Australians are continuing to die at much younger ages than non-Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians also continue to have a greater disease burden, higher rates of disability and a lower quality of life than other Australians. The section concludes with information on behaviours and health risk factors that shape the health status of Indigenous peoples such as tobacco use, alcohol misuse, illicit drug use, and housing conditions.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Many practitioners arrive in central and northern Australia without any specific relevant training for remote practice. The standard treatment manual helps them to deal with a range of health, social and work conditions that they may not have experienced before.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
This briefing paper highlights that a start has been made in identifying the prevalence of dementia among Indigenous people. Recent research in the Kimberley region of Western Australia suggests that prevalence rates of dementia could be 4 -5 times higher among Indigenous people than those in the general Australian community. A National Indigenous Dementia Strategy has been developed to provide a framework for action, with a need for Alzheimer's Australia and Indigenous organisations to obtain the resources required to implement this strategy.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Helping to 'close the gap' by providing the evidence base to inform practice and policy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
