Implicative Communication and Aboriginal Healthcare

Bronwyn Frederick’s paper titled “What health services within rural communities tell us about Aboriginal people and Aboriginal health” (accessible via EBSCO) reflects on the importance of setting and environment when delivering effective health care services to Aboriginal individuals. Prior to reading this paper, it had never occurred to me that one’s physical surroundings and social relationships could influence one’s receptiveness to health care in positive and/or negative ways. In fact, I had subconsciously assumed that as long as the services were readily available, they would be used, but after reading Frederick’s paper I suspect that that is not always the case. While the case study itself was conducted in Australia, both Australia and Canada have complicated relationships with significant populations of Aboriginal individuals. Additionally, as shown in the image below, Aboriginals make up a significant population in Canada, and there now exists an increasing need to address prevalent health issues such as diabetes amongst the Aboriginal population; thus, I found the points raised in this paper relevant to Canada as well.

Population Reporting Aboriginal Ancestry (Origin), Canada, 1901-2001


Frederick explores in detail the implications that physical environment and social setting can have in terms of effective rural health care delivery to Aboriginal people. In the abstract, he states that “the physical sites and appearances of health services can act as social texts that convey messages of belonging and welcome, or exclusion and domination” (Fredericks, 2010). Immediately, I was reminded of a certain Pecha Kucha presentation on Youtube that was shared with our ALES 204 class in lecture 10. A good portion of the presentation explored the way our understandings and emotions can alter in response to different images or slight changes in wording; in the same way, Frederick points out that three Aboriginal workers, "a couple of posters stuck on the wall, and leaflets in a room down the hall, is not privileging; [instead,] it acts to marginalise" (Fredericks, 2010). Like the signs in the video, Frederick identifies the implicative messages (whether intentional or not) embedded in our physical settings.

Reading Frederick's paper as a student in ALES 204, the importance of mutual understanding in maintaining effective communication was not lost on me. In class, we learn a lot about the effectiveness and use of online media (which is great!), but what intrigues me about this paper is that it seeks to reacquaint us with our physical surroundings and the impact they can have on us. According to Frederick (2010), places and their signs, symbols, images and representations are neither innocent nor neutral. They can marginalise and oppress, or include and engage - how we choose to communicate one or the other is a decision that should be consciously and carefully made.  

Citations

Fredericks, Bronwyn. (2010). What health services within rural communities tell us about Aboriginal people and Aboriginal health. Rural Society, 20(1), 10-20. doi:10.5172/rsj.20.1.10

Population Reporting Aboriginal Ancestry (Origin), Canada, 1901-2001 [graph]. Retrieved March 1, 2012, from: http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/abor/charts/abancestry.gif