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Geriatrics

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Ethnogeriatrics

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Spirituality and Healing

Many western pharmaceuticals were actually based on Indian herbal medicines—aspirin is derived from willow bark.

Spiritual belief is a pervasive aspect of Indian culture, although belief systems vary widely between tribes/nations and geographic areas. Most Indian traditions teach that the “interconnectedness” of all things leads to a relationship between man, Creator/God, fellow man, and nature. In many Indian traditions, healing, spiritual belief or power, and community were not separated, and often the entire community was involved in a healing ceremony and in maintaining the power of Indian “medicine”. (The term “medicine” is often used to denote actions, traditions, ceremony, remedies, or other forms of prayer or honoring the sacred. The concept of healing power that is maintained by the collective consciousness and belief of people of an Indian community is referred to here.) (Mails, 1991.) In some tribes/nations, causes of illness were considered to be an “imbalance” between the spiritual, mental, physical, and social interactions of the individual and his family or clan (Bennahum, 1998).

Healing is considered sacred work and in many Indian traditions cannot be effective without considering the spiritual aspect of the individual. Many contemporary Indians use “white man’s medicine” to treat “white man’s diseases” (for example, diabetes, cancer, and gallbladder disease), and use Indian medicine to treat Indian problems (pain, disturbed family relationships resulting in physical symptoms, or sicknesses of the spirit, which may include mental illness and alcoholism). (Alvord, 1997; Hendrix, 1999) In addition, many western pharmaceuticals were actually based on Indian herbal medicines (for example, aspirin is derived from willow bark).

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American Indian

  • Description
  • Learning Objectives
  • Introduction and Overview
    • Demographics
      • Overview
      • Geography
      • Living Arrangements
      • Tribal Groupings
      • Age Groups
    • Historical Influence
    • Self-Determination
    • Religion
    • Spirituality and Healing
    • Definition of Terms
  • Patterns of Health Risk
    • Data Quality
      • Mortality
        • Leading Causes of Death
      • Morbidity and Functional Status
        • Heart Disease and Diabetes
      • Mental Health

Culturally Appropriate Care

  • Fund of Knowledge
    • Cohort Analysis
      • Cohort Experiences
      • Case Studies for Discussion
    • Impact of Historical Events
    • Conflicting Expectations
  • Assessment
    • Respect and Rapport
    • Communication
    • Language Assesment
    • Assesment Domains
      • Client Background
      • Clinical Domains
      • Problem-Specific Information
      • Intervention-Specific Data
      • Outcome Criteria
  • Delivery of Care
    • Health Promotion Strategies
    • Treatment and Response
    • informed Consent
    • Surgery
    • Advance Directives
    • Medications
    • Chronic Pain Management
    • Dementia and Caregiving
    • End-of-life Care
    • Biomedical Vs Traditional

Access & Utilization

  • Needs Vs. Utilization
  • Managed Care

Learning Resources

  • Learning Activities
    • 1: Historical Events
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      • 1800 to 1849
      • 1850 to 1899
      • 1900 to 1949
      • 1953 to 1969: Policy of Termination and Relocation
      • 1970s
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      • 1980s to Present
    • 2: Cultural Values
    • 3: Case Study, Dementia
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