Developing a community rehabilitation and lifestyle service for a remote indigenous community

Abstract

Elders who shared so much of their ideas at the conception of this project and are continuing to teach us how to provide a better service. We would also like to acknowledge the Hospital and Health Service who supported this project.

Marŋgithirri guŋga’yunarawu ga guŋga’yunyarawu marŋgithinyarawu Learning to connect and connecting to learn: Preparing the rural and remote allied health workforce through a co‐created student‐implemented service in East Arnhem, Australia

“…Was it because students felt valued when providing a service that would not otherwise exist 1 ? Was it because the students were involved in co‐creation of the service and therefore experienced the reciprocity 8 and the iterative and reflective processes that occurred during co‐creation? 26 Was it the mentorship from the Yolŋu cultural consultants and older Yolŋu and their families who created opportunities for them to be immersed in Yolŋu ways of knowing, being and doing? 27 Or was it the flexibility of the model which both demanded and allowed students to be flexible, innovative and responsive to the needs of the community? 2,7 Additional practical studies are required to enrich our understanding of the impact of ‘connecting’ on students’ learning, on the services that students can provide and ultimately, on health outcomes for people from remote Aboriginal communities.…”

“…10 A student-implemented service, designed to provide culturally safe and responsive care within a remote community, offers one option to address the health care needs of older Yolŋu. 8,10 Allied health student clinical placements provide students with clinical experiences that enable them to meet the requirements of their respective professional bodies. 11 Accordingly, placements must enable students to demonstrate competency in the technical skills of their profession and in applying those skills to provide a high-quality, culturally responsive and safe service, in a range of service settings.…”

“…Such services are valuable in rural and remote locations where allied health services are scarce and fluctuating 5 due to underinvestment 6 and difficulties in recruitment and retention 7 . Student‐implemented services also provide the flexibility to move away from traditional models, to innovative and responsive models of service delivery, to meet the unique needs of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities 8 …”

“…Furthermore, it comes at a cost to community as older Yolŋu generally hold cultural rights and responsibilities for maintaining connection to their land and for providing leadership and support within communities 10 . A student‐implemented service, designed to provide culturally safe and responsive care within a remote community, offers one option to address the health care needs of older Yolŋu 8,10 …”

“…7 Student-implemented services also provide the flexibility to move away from traditional models, to innovative and responsive models of service delivery, to meet the unique needs of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 8 In East Arnhem, older Yolŋu have limited access to allied health services even though they live with high rates of chronic disease. 9 Without adequate services, older Yolŋu are more likely to be removed from their community to go into residential aged care.…”