There are many options for sharing health information and no clear formula for doing it. Information sharing is a process. How the information is shared is as important as what information is shared. How it is shared contributes to the impact of the information, whether it is remembered and how it is used.
Effective working partnerships between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal staff, and between the health team and other community members are important for effective sharing of information. Partnerships need to be built on sound communication and mutual respect.
| An information sharing session in response to a request from
Galiwin'ku Community Elders We found that a number of the health education resources we'd prepared, while adequate in some ways, didn't really address the range of information people wanted. We weren't quite prepared for the depth of questioning through the translators. The session provided the opportunity to critically reflect, learn from the experience and apply that learning in future practice. Gillian Gorham, Nightcliff Renal Unit |
| Talking about the Grandmothers' Women's Health Program The grandmothers know lots of things about how to stay strong and healthy. Kardyia [non-Aboriginal] know about clinic things. The grandmothers know about family and law. The women and girls need to learn all the things to be strong and healthy. They need to learn Kardyia things from the AHWs, and they need to learn law and culture from the grandmothers. Some of the health problems that people are having today are hard for Yapa [Walpiri people] to understand. Problems like poor nutrition, sugar, cancer, STDs, those things never used to be things that Yapa had to worry for. People from outside, like nurses and doctors, try to tell Yapa about these problems… what they should be doing about the problems. Sometimes those nurses and doctors don't know how to tell the story the right way. Sometimes they tell the story in ways that make Yapa shamed or angry… Kardiya staff need to be told when they are doing things wrong way and making things hard for me and the women… When the grandmothers know the Kardiya staff are trying to do things right way, they will tell the women to listen. Nola Wilson, Aboriginal Health Worker, Nyirrpi Community |