This project promotes Elder-led cultural storytelling to guide care for Aboriginal people with dementia in residential communities. While Aboriginal people with dementia prefer care from Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services, data show that most access care from mainstream organisations and from non-Indigenous staff. There is an urgent need to ensure that non-Indigenous staff understand and can provide culturally safe care. Storytelling is a powerful, compelling and authentic way for non-Indigenous staff to learn new ways of thinking about care.
Elder-led storytelling ensures the spirit, voices, and cultures of Aboriginal people guide culturally respectful and safe dementia care. Stories highlight deep, spiritual connections to lands, with allegory and metaphor illustrating the science behind each story. In this innovative digital technology project, Aboriginal Elders will guide non-Indigenous staff in storytelling through a series of audio podcasts and an audio-visual vodcast enriched with Aboriginal music, art, and dance, to come together to learn, build respectful and caring relationships and share the cultural knowledge and framework needed for optimal care.
"It's the connections we make and the stories we hear that are vital for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people. It is a privilege to connect and partner with staff at Emmerton Park to ensure culturally safe care for Aboriginal people who live there."
Lyn Goldberg, Associate Professor at the University of Tasmania