CULTURAL SAFETY IN MUSLIM AGED CARE Mahjabeen Ahmad

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW Cultural safety Muslim identity Muslim cultural safety issues/challenges Enablers Shared responsibility IFA 2016

CULTURAL SAFETY Responding to individuals and their care needs within the context of their culture Remains an evolving term Concept originated in Aotearoa (New Zealand) in late 1980s to address Indigenous Maori people’s health inequalities Architect of cultural safety--late Irihapeti Ramsden, Maori nurse and healthcare campaigner. IFA 2016

Second, you must never forget that I’m black.” “The first thing you do is to forget that I’m black. Second, you must never forget that I’m black.” ---Pat Parker, For the white person who wants to know how to be my friend IFA 2016

MUSLIMS…... Adopt Islam as a complete code of life Are not a homogenous group Share a strong religious identity Have different levels of faith observance: practicing, cultural, and nominal Muslims IFA 2016

CULTURE AND IDENTITY OF MUSLIMS Islamic culture Muslim culture(s) Dual or hyphenated identity Acculturation. IFA 2016

THE ‘OTHER’ IN OUR COMMUNITY Islamophobia; bogeyman of many politicians and media Highly visible signs of commitment to religious beliefs dissimilar and distinct from the dominant/ mainstream culture; perceived as threat to ‘our values and our way of life’ Additional layer of ‘Otherness’. IFA 2016

FROM THE INVISIBLE TO THE VISIBLE: MUSLIM CULTURAL SAFETY Cultural risk not always rooted in past colonial history Muslims at higher risk of experiencing discrimination and prejudice: Community vulnerability Individual exposure to cultural risks by virtue of group identity Power not only inherent in positions---power inequities also come in the form of knowledge and skill levels No safety in numbers for Muslims in aged care Religion and related needs getting subsumed within a broad definition of culture Breadth and depth of influence of faith values and observances on everyday lives of practicing Muslims and, consequently, on their care routines. IFA 2016

AGEING IN THE ‘WRONG PLACE’? Lack of social or family support structure Lack of community capacity or resources to support the elderly Access and powerlessness issues. IFA 2016

ENGAGING WITH THE ‘OTHER’ Awareness of public discourse of non- dominant cultures and religions and its effects Perceptions influencing willingness to work for and with those from different religious and cultural groups Being careful of unconscious or unspoken expression or application of power differential. IFA 2016

CREATING CULTURALLY SAFE ENVIRONMENT Recognising centrality of faith: cultural expressions of Muslims are, in many instances, religious expressions Recognition of this expression or manifestation in public spaces to be carefully negotiated in a secular environment --- ‘no public space is culturally neutral’ 1 An enabling or supportive environment that empowers people and gives assurance of cultural continuity People not feeling the pressure to defend their identity or rationalize their specific or unique needs. Tariq Modood, Multiculturallism, John Wiley & Sons, 2013, p. 1917 IFA 2016

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY Interculturalism Biculturalism Proactive engagement Trust and confidence Strong community advocacy Strengthening of mutual capacity through shared learning.   IFA 2016

THANK YOU!