Aboriginal Health

As of 2013, diabetes mellitus rates among Aboriginals have reached epidemic proportions. It is said that a person of Aboriginal decent is four times more likely to develop this disease in their lifetime than non-indigenous Canadians (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2013). The rate skyrocketed for a variety of reasons, most of which are linked to a majority of Aboriginals living in poverty. Poverty’s impact has brought about major issues including decreased access to nutrient dense foods, increased psychosocial stress caused by many years of social exclusion, and lack of access to screening and treatment centres (Brooks, Darroch, & Giles, 2013; Loopie Reading, & Wein, 2009). Each of these have made an outstanding impact

Implications to Nursing

CHNs are the key to preventing the monstrous rate of Aboriginals with diabetes mellitus from increasing further. This is because they follow an upstream-based guideline referred to as the Canadian Community Nursing Standards that is crucial when working alongside aggregate populations and improving their health (Community Health Nurses of Canada, 2011). This group of standards follows involves a strength-based perspective because each one involves aspects crucial to community care and action such as advocating, support, and addressing individual and community needs (Community Health Nurses of Canada, 2011; Health Canada,

Before CHNs can build capacity, they must ensure their caring interventions, may that be a primary prevention program or screening tests do not strain cultural barriers or any other environmental risk factors (Bhattacharyya, Dyck, Harris, Naqshbandi Hayward, & Toth, 2013). This can be done in a variety of was such as consulting the communities Elder, or various members of the community itself (King, King, Munt, Semmens, & Willis, 2012). Once this has been taken into consideration, CHNs can build on personal and community strengths by supporting, empowering, and advocating for Aboriginals, including the diabetics, to take charge of their personal health and thereby work to maintain or improve it (Mayan, Oster, & Toth, 2014). Moreover, the fourth community-nursing standard closely linked with the second as involves members of a community and their CHN(s) collaborating to identify and/or create possible healthcare services (Community Health Nurses of Canada, 2011). This collaboration thereby allows the community, Aboriginals, to take action on their personal health and well-being. This process of collaboration can be difficult for non-indigenous CHNs, as they may not have a large awareness of the accepted interventions for diabetes mellitus