Aunty Letti Contemporary Literature Case Study

Case study

Aunty Letti is a 60-year-old Dunghutti woman, she is an elder in her community. She lives with her eldest daughter Marli, who works full-time at the local school as an Aboriginal Educational Officer and has three children (ages 4,6, and 9). Aunty Letti has recently retired from her role at the same school where she taught art for many years. She now spends most of her time reading to her grandchildren, leading art sessions in the community, and growing local food. Aunty Letti has four other children who all live close by.

Aunty Letti has a history of Type 2 Diabetes (insulin controlled) and was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease 3 years ago. Her care has been managed at their local hospital, which is a small remote 10-bed hospital with one permanent doctor. At Aunty Letti's most recent check-up the doctor raised some concerns about her health. The doctor has organized a referral to the specialist endocrinology and renal teams in the neighboring metropolitan hospital, which is 3hrs away. An initial appointment with the renal team was organized for 4 pm one afternoon. Marli would be the one driving her mum. So this meant she had to organize care for her children and accommodation for the night. The day they were leaving Aunty Letti expressed that she was feeling quite overwhelmed as she has never been to a big city hospital and the stories her grandmother shared weren't very good, she also hasn't been off country in more than 10 years.

Once arriving at the hospital Marli and Aunty Letti aren't quite sure where to go, the directions on the appointment letter aren't very clear, so they ask someone who looks like they work in the hospital for help. The wardsman looked at them and said, well I guess you aren't from here are you but pointed them in the general direction. Marli and Aunty Letti felt ashamed for not knowing where to go but took this small amount of information and found the room they needed, this led to them arriving at the initial appointment 10 minutes late. While they were checking in, Aunty Letti and Marli overhead a comment from the administration staff these people out bush are never on time. The renal team conducted their review and concluded that Aunty Letti was in renal failure, and she would need to start dialysis right away. Dialysis will be undertaken 3 times a week initially to see how she responds. So that would mean multi trips per week to the hospital or choosing to stay in hospital accommodation for the duration of her intensive treatment. When Marli suggested that this is a difficult situation for her family, the doctor cut her off and stated they would like to start the treatment the next day and that they should speak to the administration staff to help organize the process.

Questions. Briefly identify any barriers and cultural considerations that the family may face when accessing Aunty Letti's treatment.

Questions. Briefly identify any barriers and cultural considerations that the family may face when accessing Aunty Letti's treatment.

Questions. Briefly describe the determinants of health, and inequalities that Aunty Letti and her family are facing to receive adequate health care.

Questions. Identify what health services and resources could be accessed to help support the care of Aunty Letti in the admission and treatment process. And why it is important to use culturally appropriate resources?

Questions. Identify and describe how a culturally safe environment could be ensured for Aunty Letti through her hospital admission and treatments.

Questions. Reflect on the actions and conversations with hospital staff and how you felt about the situation.