Faculty Of Health, Dep. Of Social Relation, UIT-The Arctic University Of Norway, Campus Harstad, Norway.
Int J Circumpolar Health. 2021 Dec;80(1):1964173. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2021.1964173.
The aim of this article is to discuss attitudes to memory loss in old age among older Sámi people in the Arctic region of Norway. What preferences and lived experiences are expressed when older Sámi people need health and social care because of memory loss? According to the Sámi Act (§ 108), the Sámi Indigenous people in Norway have a legal right to receive equitable health and social services adapted to the Sámi language, traditional lifestyle and religious customs. However, standard services are offered that are adapted to the majority of clients in a homogenisation of needs and wishes, and older Sámi clients are treated in the same way regardless of their cultural background. Ethnographic interviews and participant observation illustrated as case studies. Older Sámis' long-term connectedness to nature and spirituality makes them sensitive to the changes in the environment. Healthcare personnel enable older Sámi to feel connected to their environment and spirituality in old age, by facilitating culturally sensitive care. This study explores a need of culturally sensitive approach to health care, aiming to increase the understanding of the preferences and lived experiences of Indigenous older people with cognitive impairment.
本文旨在探讨挪威北极地区老年萨米人对老年记忆丧失的态度。当老年萨米人因记忆丧失而需要医疗和社会护理时，他们表达了哪些偏好和生活体验？根据《萨米人法》（第 108 条），挪威的萨米土著人民有权获得平等的医疗和社会服务，这些服务适应萨米语言、传统生活方式和宗教习俗。然而，提供的标准服务是针对大多数客户的，需要和愿望趋同，老年萨米客户无论其文化背景如何，都受到同样的对待。民族志访谈和参与观察作为案例研究进行说明。老年萨米人长期以来与自然和精神的联系使他们对环境的变化敏感。医疗保健人员通过提供文化敏感的护理，使老年萨米人能够在年老时感受到与环境和精神的联系。本研究探讨了对医疗保健进行文化敏感方法的需求，旨在增加对认知障碍的土著老年人偏好和生活体验的理解。
