By John Lowe, R.N., Ph.D. and Anno Nakai, M.A.

Traditional Native American community values help make caregiving very special.

Caregiving is seen as a journey toward wisdom that provides an opportunity to develop a deep and trusting connection to our elders. It also bestows on us the honor of learning about life through the strengths and experiences of our ancestors. Caregivers who focus on the qualities of caring, connection, and respect can find strengths within the helping relationship that will assist them in providing quality home-based care for a longer and healthier period of time.

Healing Through Spirituality

Caring for our elders is one of the traditions that strengthen tribal communities, and it is part of the daily cultural practices that connect caregivers to the past, present, and future of their people. Spirituality is the basis of healing in Native American culture and is strongly connected to the continuation of traditional healing practices such as herbal medicine, ceremonies, and purification practices. Elders remain our greatest resource for understanding traditional ways towards harmony and health, and caregivers who take the time to sit and quietly listen will be well-trained for the challenges of providing care.

Native American Caregivers

Native American caregivers (family members, nurses, and other health care providers) bring unique values to their work that helps increase the overall effectiveness and quality of their care. Drawn from common cultural norms and experiences, these values shape the way healthcare is provided in Native American communities.  These values also support Native American caregivers in finding a place of balance, harmony, and connectedness through the action of providing care for our elders, and others who are in need of health care.

Native American Nursing Values

In a recent study of Nursing in Native American Culture, members of the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association identified common cultural values and attitudes that are central to the quality of their care. Two hundred and thirty Native American nurses from a variety of tribal backgrounds participated in the focus groups that assisted Native American nursing scholars* in identifying qualities that were common in their caregiving. These qualities and values are as follows:

• Caring
• Connection
• Trust
• Respect
• Holism (Caring for the whole being)
• Spirituality
• Traditions

* Source: John Lowe, R.N., Ph.D., and Roxanne Struthers, R.N., Ph.D., A Conceptual Framework of Nursing in Native American Culture, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2001; 33:3, 279-283.

Caring

The quality of caring (first on the list above), is the foundation of Native American health care, with the role of the caregiver being seen as an honor and/or a calling in many tribal communities.

Caregiving is also understood as an active partnership between the family member and the caregiver, with the ability to listen being one of the primary qualities needed for this work. Drawing on the cultural values of silence and patience, the ability to listen and reflect allows caregivers to develop a two-way exchange of healing that is an important part of care.

Connection, Holism, Trust, Respect

This kind of caring leads to connection, and the ability to see the strengths and values of the person that we care for, as well as our own. Understanding health as a process of holism, and the ability to develop a relationship based on trust and respect, allows the caregiver to assist their family member in working towards balance. It also helps them connect their family member to resources for health that exist around them. 

Spirituality, Traditions

A caregiving plan that is based on this level of trust and respect allows the caregiver to draw upon the wisdom from the care receiver, and to learn lessons that will assist them in maintaining their own state of balance and health. In this way, caregiving goes beyond the care of a family member’s physical needs to care for the whole family. This leads to a deeper understanding and connection to the health, spirituality, and cultural traditions of the family as a whole.

John Lowe, RN, PhD (Cherokee) is an Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing in Boca Raton, Florida.  Dr. Lowe is the Primary Investigator of the Teen Intervention Project-Cherokee, and the President of the Native American Nursing Scholars Institute (NANSI), nativescholars@yahoo.com

Anno Nakai, MA (Saami) is a Community Health Consultant working with the Native American Nursing Scholars Institute (NANSI), Elders Videography Project.