Different meanings… what we want in our lives… a qualitative exploration of the experience of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples in a co-designed community rehabilitation service

Abstract

Purpose

Promoting positive psychological, social and functional health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people requires health services to be culturally safe, respecting culture as central to the individuals and their communities. This study explored the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, participating in a co-designed student-assisted community rehabilitation service in a remote Aboriginal community in Far North Queensland.

Materials and methods

Observation, informal yarning and semi-structured interviews with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (n = 6) engaged in the service was conducted over a 7 week period. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied through inductive thematic analysis.

Results

Four themes illustrated that experiences within the program promoted: A connection to people, both within the program and those significant in people’s lives; a connection to past experiences, roles and events; a connection to the future of cultural knowledge; and a sense of achievement and fun. Participants shared their unique stories on their positive experience of the culturally responsive approach in the activities.

Conclusions

These results suggest that knowledge translation and reciprocity provide a strong foundation for rehabilitation programs that support healthy ageing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and encourage active and ongoing individual and community involvement.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Listening to and following the needs and wishes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rehabilitation participants, promotes the delivery of a service that is culturally and personally meaningful.

• Promoting two-way learning between participants and the people delivering the service promotes engagement with the service, reduces traditional power dynamics and increases the importance and meaning of the service for participants.

• Elevating cultural respect as an essential element of a rehabilitation service promotes service delivery that supports cultural relevance and safety.

Keywords:

• Rural health
• allied health
• indigenous
• First Nations
• disability
• ageing
• cultural safety
• cultural responsiveness
• service learning

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of many community members in guiding the research team, the clinicians and the university students in developing this project and the service. In particular, we would like to acknowledge Frances Wymarra who supported final data analysis. We would also like to acknowledge Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service who supported this project and Professor Elizabeth Armstrong and Associate Professor Ruth Barker who provided advice on an early draft.

Disclosure statement

ES was an occupational therapy student on placement at the community rehabilitation service. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this project was supported by the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation and the Far North Queensland Primary Health Network. AC was supported by an Early Career Fellowship, NHMRC-funded “Improving Health Outcomes in the Tropical North: A multidisciplinary collaboration (Hot North)”, [grant identification number 1131932].