Capturing smoke: exploring literature on end-of life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Capturing smoke: exploring literature on end-of life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples end-of-life care requires a unique set of skills and understanding. This paper presents findings from a systematic literature review of culturally appropriate end-of-life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the Australian health care setting. The Western biomedical model of health care which influences the Australian health care system has struggled to adequately meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly towards the end of their lives (McGrath & Phillips, 2008). Programs such the Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) (Prior, 2009), Yuendumu Old People’s Program (Smith, Grundy & Nelson, 2010) and resources such as the Advanced Care Yarning Booklet (Jones, Burgess & Seal, 2013) and models such as the Living Model (McGrath, 2010) have been identified. However, there appears to be little evidence of how these models impact on the lived experience of end-of-life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in particular within the urban and semi-rural setting. This is becoming more significant due to the younger age at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families are required to make end-of-life decisions. Of particular concern is the lack of acknowledgement of the significant spiritual and cultural burden experienced by communities.