Technological Innovations In Mental Healthcare

The Prevalence of Chronic Illness amongst the Indigenous Communities in Australia

Discuss about the Technological Innovations in Mental Healthcare.

Australia is a country is a very big country. It is composed of people from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds such as the indigenous Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander people. Health disparity has been identified as a major issue facing the country’s healthcare system because the inequality and inequity in the distribution of health services is influenced by a number of socio-cultural factors. It is for this reason that there is a high prevalence of illnesses and mortality amongst the indigenous communities than the rest of the Australian society. However, the fact that this problem exists does not mean that it can be resolved. The Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people can still be helped if appropriate measures are taken. This paper presents an in-depth and critical analysis of the applications of digital storytelling in addressing the persistent problem of chronic illness amongst the Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people.

Research has proven that there is a high prevalence of chronic illnesses such as diabetes amongst the indigenous communities than non-indigenous communities in Australia. Over the years, many Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people have been suffering from chronic illnesses. As a community, the indigenous people cannot be compared to their non-indigenous counterparts in many ways (Russell, 2013). The Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people have been exposed to a wide range of chronic illnesses because of their socio-cultural background.

First and foremost, the indigenous communities are not economically-empowered. A large number of the indigenous people are not educated and employed. Meaning, they do not have the financial muscle to face the health challenges affecting them. Without a job, the people cannot afford quality healthcare services. Meaning, in case of any infection, they might not get access to the required medical interventions (Gajjar, Zwi, Hill & Shannon, 2014). At the same time, failure to posses the right quality of education worsens the situation because it makes the indigenous people to be ignorant of the benefits of health care in their lives. Accessibility to healthcare services is a very important factor that determines the health condition of a community.

Secondly, the Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people have a high prevalence of chronic illnesses because of their cultural beliefs. As a community, the indigenous people are known to be quite conservative and superstitious.  The Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people still engage in certain cultural practices that expose them to chronic illnesses (Waugh, & Donaldson, 2016). For example, the belief in the causes, symptoms, effects, and treatment of diseases has been hindering the community members from going to the hospital to seek for medical services. The community does this because according to their culture, modern health services are not appropriate and relevant to their needs (Donato & Segal, 2013). However, this is an ill-informed decision because diseases like diabetes require life style changes, decisions that can only be effectively made and maintained through the support of healthcare providers.

The Effectiveness of Digital Storytelling amongst the Indigenous Communities in Australia

Finally, the Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people have a high prevalence of chronic illnesses because of their geographic location. As an indigenous people, the Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people live in the rural areas. These are remote places in which accessibility to healthcare services is hindered by the inadequacy of infrastructure (Mitrou, et al., 2014). Rural areas are known to be places with poor road networks and inadequate health facilities. The inadequacy of infrastructure has been negatively impacting on the community because it prevents them from getting the health services that they need at any given time (Gubhaju, et al., 2013). When people are located far from the health facilities, for instance, they cannot manage to get emergency healthcare services. This ca negatively affects the community because it will increase the rate of illnesses and mortality.   

The Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people are known to be the indigenous communities that have a unique set of problems. When compared to the rest of the Australian society, the Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people have been established to having a high rate of chronic illnesses. The high prevalence of chronic illnesses has adversely affected the community in many ways (Panaretto, Wenitong, Button & Ring, 2014). Notably, the prevalence of chronic illnesses has resulted into economic loss. A lot of money has been used in the provision of healthcare services to the community (Brown, O’Shea, Mott, McBride, Lawson & Jennings, 2015). Besides, the situation has affected the community socially. Meaning, it has caused suffering to the individual patients, family, and community members at large. The suffering endured by one member of the community is spread to their loved ones as well. Thus, chronic illness is not an individual, but communal problem.

To address the persistent challenge of chronic illness amongst the indigenous communities, a large number of interventions can be applied. One of the strategies that can be of great contribution in the eradication of chronic illnesses in the community is the use of digital storytelling.  Digital storytelling refers to the use of digital media to disseminate health information in the form of story (Hollis, Morriss, Martin, Amani, Cotton, Denis & Lewis, 2015). In other words, it is a story that is shared through a digital media platform. An example of a digital narrative is ‘How’s Your Sugar?’ Here, individuals get an opportunity to narrate their health stories and make it available to others to have access to it. A digital narrative can be designed to suit a wide range of audience (Gubrium, Hill & Flicker, 2014). A person telling the story gets an opportunity to explain to the audience more information about their health experiences and how they have been dealing with a particular illness in their lives.

‘How’s Your Sugar?’ as a digital narrative is a flexible platform because it gives people an opportunity to use a wide range of methodologies while narrating their health story. It can be in the form of audio tape, still photos, or moving videos. This means that it is not a narrow platform, but a diverse media that can be used to access a large and diverse audience including those with ear or visual impairments. Whichever the design adopted, an individual uses the platform to simply tell the story regarding their health. It is therefore no doubt that digital narrative is a noble initiative that can work miracles (Sharma, 2016). If properly utilized, it can play a significant role in addressing various health challenges affecting a community or nation.

Indeed, the use of ‘How’s Your Sugar?’ has helped in transforming the lives of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people. Since the establishment of this digital storytelling platform, a large number of Australians have gotten a chance to tell their stories. The website is like an informal arena in which ordinary people share their information. The stories told in the website are so strong because they are told by the patients who have, at one stage in their lives, faced a challenge highlighted in the story (Tones, Robinson & Tilford, 2013). It benefits the storytellers by giving them a fulfillment that they need as individuals. The telling of story about illnesses facing a person can provide a relief because it removes the garbage from them. It is a form of treatment because it gives a partial solution to the problem (Hardy, 2015). A problem shared is half solved.

‘How’s Your Sugar?’ has transformed the lives of the Aboriginal and the Torres Islander people because it has given them a chance to listen to powerful stories from other people. It has been equipping people with powerful stories that have been helping them to make important decisions regarding their health status. By learning from the stories that diabetes is a disease that can be managed, many people have decided to change their lifestyles and seek for medical attention the way it was done by the storytellers (Lupton, 2015). An inspiration story given by a patient is treated as a relevant testimony that should be emulated by others at all times. The stories in the website are good ones because they have lots of inspiration to the people. Therefore, it is recommended to visit the website and get information that is useful in the fight against chronic illnesses like diabetes (Casado, 2014).     

‘How’s Your Sugar?’ shares lots of similarities with the diabetesaustralia.com. In the first place, the two websites are used as storytelling platforms. Just like ‘How’s Your Sugar?’ diabetesaustralia.com is used by patients who have been suffering from the disease on which the story is based. This implies that each of the two websites present stories that are recited from the perspective of the patients. The use of individual patients to present their own stories is more powerful than the use of experts because it appears to be inspirational (Lupton, 2015). The advantage of this strategy is that it is effective and appealing to audience. A story told by a person who has had a real experience is good because it is readily acceptable by the audience.

The other similarity between ‘How’s Your Sugar?’ and diabetesaustralia.com is that they provide a flexible platform for people to discuss about chronic illnesses. Although the stories are told from the perspective of the patients, enough room is created for the experts to chip in. the websites have allowed the storytellers to use still images of videos to tell their stories. This means that they are not restricted to one medium. The advantage of this strategy is that it increases the audience base for the stories because they can be accessed by different categories of audience including those with visual impairments (Gubrium, Hill & Flicker, 2014). The provision of an informal story-telling platform has been encouraging people to courageously tell their stories and let other people learn from their experiences.

This website deals in cancer. Just like the other websites, it gives patients an opportunity to share their cancer stories so as to inspire and give hope to other cancer patients.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Aboriginals and the Torres Islander people are indigenous communities that have been facing lots of challenges in their pursuit for healthcare services. The indigenous communities get it challenging to access quality healthcare services because of their socio-cultural disadvantages. This justifies why the communities have a high prevalence of chronic illnesses such as diabetes. However, with the application of digital narrative, the problem of chronic illness is getting resolved. The use of ‘How’s Your Sugar?’ has been instrumental because it created an accessible platform in which the patients freely interact with one another and get to share their personal stories. The website has positively contributed towards the eradication of chronic illnesses such as diabetes.  For example, by using the platform people have managed to come out and boldly explain to others how they have been struggling with chronic diseases. The fact that these stories come from patients makes the strategy to be quite appropriate in fighting chronic illnesses. A story from one patient can be relied upon as an inspiration to other people who might be facing a similar challenge.

Therefore, by learning those similar conditions had been effectively managed and overcome by ordinary community members, individuals can be challenged not to give up, but to actively engage in treating it. The use of digital narrative is an appropriate strategy whose continued usage will positively contribute towards the eradication of chronic illness in Australia. The efforts of ‘How’s Your Sugar?’ and diabetesaustralia.com have yielded lots of fruits. The strategy should therefore be encouraged because it will continue making positive impacts in the country. It is one way through which the government will help in reducing the disparities between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Australia. Many such digital narrative platforms should be created to address all the issues of health concern affecting not only the indigenous people, but all sections of the Australian society. It will be a sure way of attaining a universal health equity and equality in the country.

References

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