LIME Good Practice Case Studies Volume Three, 2015
Rising Spirits Community Resilience Project – Final Research Report
The Rising Spirits Project investigated what supports Aboriginal people need during bereavement, what is available that is being utilised by Aboriginal people, where the gaps are and the levels of community and state readiness to address grief and loss.
Aboriginal communities improving Aboriginal health: An evidence review on the contribution of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to improving Aboriginal health
Aboriginal communities have a long history of working to address the needs of Aboriginal peoples. Since the first Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) was established in Redfern, NSW in 1971, more than 150 ACCHSs have been established around Australia. While the Aboriginal community controlled health sector has long argued that ACCHSs are a vital […]
Way Forward: an Indigenous approach to well-being
Objective: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals are overrepresented in mental health services in the state of Queensland (QLD), Australia; indicating greater prevalence and less preventative management of mental illness. This paper describes a project to enhance the model of care to improve mental health, alcohol and other drug outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait […]
Supporting Aboriginal mental health workers: research into perspectives on system change
This report is an evaluation of the Aboriginal Mental Health Workers (AMHW) program in remote northern Australia, and highlights the perspectives and experiences of Aboriginal Health Workers. The study included the perspectives of six Aboriginal Mental Health Workers from three sites across northern Australia, in addition to consultation with multiple stakeholders, including clinic managers and […]
Lost in the great desert, preventing Aboriginal suicide
“We are working at a pace to make a real difference but in the end it will come down to governments recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide is a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. If you are an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged 15 to 35, nearly one in three deaths will be a […]
Health services explore new technology to overcome language barriers in Indigenous healthcare
With a life expectancy gap of about 10 years and poor health outcomes, some health services are looking towards new forms of technology to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health services in Australia.
Racial Bias in Health Care and Health: Challenges and Opportunities
This Viewpoint describes the contribution of racial bias to disparities in health care and discusses the need to increase awareness of disparities and work toward eliminating discrimination and its adverse effects. A landmark report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2003 documented that from the simplest to the most technologically advanced diagnostic and therapeutic […]
Developing a best practice pathway to support improvements in Indigenous Australians’ mental health and well-being: a qualitative study
Objective There is a need to adapt pathways to care to promote access to mental health services for Indigenous people in Australia. This study explored Indigenous community and service provider perspectives of well-being and ways to promote access to care for Indigenous people at risk of depressive illness. Design A participatory action research framework was […]
Shifting gears in careers: Identifying drivers of career development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers in the health sector
This paper explores how the Australian health sector might improve opportunities for career development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers. It considers the current evidence surrounding career development in the health sector, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worker experiences, to develop a usable conceptual framework for change.
Aboriginal health promotion through addressing employment discrimination
The Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD) program aimed to improve the mental health of Aboriginal Victorians by addressing racial discrimination and facilitating social and economic participation. As part of LEAD, Whittlesea Council adopted the Aboriginal Employment Pathways Strategy (AEPS) to increase Aboriginal employment and retention within the organisation. The Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training Program […]
Attraction, recruitment and distribution of health professionals in rural and remote Australia: early results of the Rural Health Professionals Program
Abstract Background: Australians living in rural and remote communities experience relatively poor health status in comparison to the wider Australian population (Med J Aust 185:37-38, 2006). This can be attributed in part to issues of access to health services arising from difficulties in recruiting and retaining health professionals in these areas. The Rural Health Professionals […]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (the Framework) has been developed to address the variability amongst all health professions and higher education providers in terms of the nature and extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander curriculum is being implemented. The aim of the Framework is to provide a model for […]
Promoting Aboriginal health: The family wellbeing empowerment approach
This book highlights the health gap that exists between Indigenous and other Australians and proposes that one solution is to empower Indigenous Australians to take control of their own health and wellbeing. In particular, the book describes an Aboriginal family wellbeing model of empowerment which has been used successfully in programs across Australia. The book […]
A Resource for Collective Healing for Members of the Stolen Generations: Planning, Implementing and Evaluating Effective Local Responses
The purpose of the resource is to: Strengthen and build upon the work already being done in the community by Stolen Generations members, organisations and groups to provide collective healing responses. Encourage the inclusion of collective healing responses in services provided to the Stolen Generations, including support groups, group therapy programs, day trips on country, […]
Negotiating worldviews: Indigenous place in academic space
This chapter describes and critiques, from the perspective of an Indigenous global scholar, the development and delivery of a series of degree courses of study designed to respond to the historical, social and cultural trauma consequent to colonial worldviews interfacing with Aboriginal Australian Peoples and the expressed need for healing – not a word commonly […]
The Marumali Program: healing for Stolen Generations
There are an estimated 10,625 people who directly experienced the trauma generated by forcible removal, an estimated 25,844 children (second generation) who have been living with parents affected by forcible removal, and an estimated 40,612 grandchildren who continue to experience the effects of their grandparents’ removal.1 Two models developed by Aboriginal people have been evaluated […]
“You’ve got to make it relevant”: barriers and ways forward for assessing cognition in Aboriginal clients
Background: Reliable cognitive assessment for non-western cultures is difficult given that mainstream tests typically rely on western concepts, content and values. Despite recognition of the scarcity of appropriate tests for Aboriginal people over many years, limited practical development has occurred. This study aimed to identify barriers to assessment for clinicians working with Aboriginal people in […]
The Djurruwang Program: Cultural affirmation for effective mental health
This chapter outlines the growth and development of the Djirruwang Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Worker Education and Training Program (The Djirruwang Program) in Australia. The chapter describes what can be achieved when individuals, organisations, health disciplines and Aboriginal communities work in close partnership and learn from each other. We emphasise the importance […]
Cultural respect strategies in Australian Aboriginal primary health care services: beyond education and training of practitioners
Objective: There is little literature on health-service-level strategies for culturally respectful care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We conducted two case studies, which involved one Aboriginal community controlled health care service and one state government-managed primary health care service, to examine cultural respect strategies, client experiences and barriers to cultural respect. Methods: Data […]
Harmful Substance Use and Mental Health
In this chapter, we briefly examine harmful substance use and mental health among Aboriginal Australians. We explore a range of issues including current substance use and related harms, social and emotional wellbeing and comorbidity, and the social determinants of mental health and harmful substance use. We examine the range of services that have been developed […]
Experiencing racism in health care: the mental health impacts for Victorian Aboriginal communities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health
Overview Supporting health professionals in improving knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health care to achieve better outcomes. Module 1: Interviewing an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patient Engagement and communication with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a culturally appropriate and safe way. Module 2: Developing a mental health […]
Reframing Aboriginal family caregiving
This chapter describes the experiences of caregiving for Aboriginal families living with a serious mental illness. It highlights the disconnection with mental health providers and their lack of knowledge of Aboriginal concepts of caregiving. Indeed, there is limited knowledge of the complexity of caregiving across the mental health sector. This chapter explores Aboriginal caregiving through […]
Ngara…Deep Listening…Seeing ‘two ways’: What can Indigenous knowledge, mindfulness and observational skills training
The third Slice of LIME seminar was hosted by Flinders University SA on 12 September 2014. Presenters for this third Seminar include Uncle Lewis Yerloburka O’Brien (Kaurna Elder), Aunty Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, Prof. L.C. Chan, Dr Heather Gaunt. Rapporteur for the session was Prof Lambert Schuwirht and it was facilitated by Prof. Dennis McDermott.