Relational care a guide to health care and support for Aboriginal people living with HIV/AIDS : final report 2008

Barlow, J. Kevin. (Author). Reading, Charlotte Loppie. (Added Author). Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (Added Author).

Summary: This study began as an investigation into the need for culturally competent care for Aboriginal People Living with HIV/AIDS (APHAs) in Canada. It resulted in an understanding of the need for what we term "relational care". The root of relational care is connection, the link between all living things that in some Aboriginal philosophies is captured in the phrase "all my relations". Relational care is an interactive, caring, respectful path for culturally competent services leading to the well-being of the whole person. Imagine if a Doctor or nurse took time to acknowledge that the person they are treating came across their path for a reason, some deeper purpose, such as to teach or learn from one another? It is a tremendous responsibility and perhaps gift, to be a part of someone's passing into the spirit world. And until they pass, being of service to assist in finding a healthier way to live also carries that same responsibility. While most cultural concepts of care (e.g., cultural competence, cultural safety) call attention to relationships of trust, relational care embraces the entire relationship between caregiver and care recipient. Relational care encompasses the physical, social, emotional and spiritual dimensions of human connection. Healthy care relationships are critical because unhealthy relationships often result in Aboriginal people discontinuing care. The concept of relational care is rooted in values and teachings of Inuit, Métis and First Nations cultures. These values and teachings provide pathways for our analysis of the experiences of APHAs in accessing care, treatment and support, and frame our analysis of relational care service provision. In this report we outline Seven Sacred Teachings which are found in many First Nations to elicit care relationships that foster positive health outcomes for APHAs. We acknowledge that the Inuit and Métis also have their own belief systems which may be similar to these.

Record details

ISBN: 9781894624664 (electronic bk.)
ISBN: 1894624661 (electronic bk.)
ISBN: 9781894624664 (print)
Physical Description: electronic
electronic resource
remote
1 online resource (x, 121 p.) : digital file.
Publisher: Ottawa, Ont. : Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, 2008

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-88).
Formatted Contents Note:	Executive summary -- 1. Introduction -- Cultural concepts of care: the literature -- "Relational care": the Aboriginal perspective -- 2. Methodology -- Study objectives -- Study design -- Community-Based Research (CBR) -- Qualitative approach -- Recruitment -- Data collection -- Data analysis -- Ethics protocol -- Study participants -- Characteristics of APHA participants -- Characteristics of service provider (SP) participants -- Summary -- 3. The APHA experience: being Aboriginal, being positive -- Historic trauma -- Cultural disconnection -- Adoption, foster care, and dysfunctional families -- Residential school legacy -- Mobility, migration and transience -- Shattered meaning: HIV/AIDS discovery experiences -- Am I going to die? -- Intensified negative coping experiences -- Obstacles along the path: racism, stigma and homophobia -- Racism: "another Indian junkie" -- HIV stigma: "We're only human, it's just a disease" -- Homophobia: "I'm labelled as gay" -- Pushed and pulling away from family, community and treatment -- Moving forward along a "better path" -- Catalyst for change: finding meaning -- Caring about "the real me" -- Human connectedness: "second family" -- "Times of peace": spiritual and traditional Aboriginal wellness -- Many pathways: recognizing diversity -- 4. Relational care: promoting healing -- Making care connections -- Physical connection: welcome! -- Social connection: whose face do I see? -- Emotional connection: they listen to me -- Spiritual connection: human competence -- Negotiating care relationships -- Holistic care (love and respect) -- Flexible and integrated care (courage and wisdom) -- Trusted care (honesty) -- Knowledgeable care (humility and truth) -- 5. Wise practices for providing relational care -- A legacy -- Cultural connection and disconnection -- Living with HIV/AIDS in Aboriginal communities -- Racism and perceived racism -- Overcoming barriers -- The catalyst and culture -- Second family -- Making care connections -- Negotiating care relationships -- Cultural resources -- Bibliography -- Appendices: -- Appendix A: APHA sample tables -- Appendix B: Service provider sample tables.
System Details Note:	Mode of access: World Wide Web (or Internet).