Journal Entry 2 - Question 8 from "Issues in Aging"

Although “62 percent of all American Indians live off reservations in cities and towns,” this percentage is drastically different then the national urban and city dwelling average rate of 84 percent (Bradley, Katz, 2011). Therefore, when discussing the unique problems American Indians face due to their geographic location, we are, by large, speaking of the 48 percent of Indians that live rurally or on reservations. Furthermore, pinpointing the unique problems that American Indians face due to their geographic location as well as discussing the pros and cons of reservation living for older American Indians is like examining two sides of the same coin and therefore, I will do both simultaneously.

One of the key problems and cons of reservation and rural living is that of isolation from resources. Primarily, American Indians that live in these locations lack economic opportunities and resources and though poverty is not unique, the levels, or rather lows, facing American Indians are. Novak (2009), quoting John (1994), parades before us a stat sheet that can be called depressing at best when he reports that American Indians that live on reservations and rural settings “had only two-thirds of the overall median household income…More than one half (57%) of rural and reservation elders lived in a household with income 125 percent of the poverty line. American Indians that choose to live in isolation are choosing a life Novak (2009) tells us, of “low incomes, poor quality housing, lack of transportation, and poor health care.” This is true for the young as well as old however, for the old, economic hardship presents the opportunity for another danger.

Due to the necessity of elders relying on family for support and the very real possibility that the family does not have the resources to give this support, American Indian elders face the prospect of abuse. Novak (2009), in discussing Indian elder abuse, cites two different sources, the first a study by Baldridge (2002, cited by Novak 2009) that portrays how rampant this frightening issue is. “81 percent of elders expressed worry about abuse” Novak states. Novak also cites Schweitzer who explains (1999, cited by Novak 2009) that “frail elders, who need the most support, face the greatest threat of neglect or abuse.”(182). This disturbing issue is again not unique but the widespread concern and possibility of it most assuredly is.

On top of the economic hardship faced by elders and American Indians in general, their geographic isolation as well as the political isolation that stems from the complicated status of partial sovereignty in which they live, results in, as Novak (2009) explains “less access to formal support programs.” Examples include the fact that “only twelve nursing homes exist for American Indians in the entire nation” (Baldridge 2002, cited by Novak, 2009). Altogether, the lack of resources faced by American Indians living on reservations and rurally has contributed to a life expectancy for American Indians well below the national average (Ho, 2009) as well as astonishingly high rates of death due to tuberculosis (475% greater then the national average), diabetes (231% greater), accidents (212% greater), suicide (70% greater) and homicide (41% greater).

Yet for elder Indians on reservations and in rural settings, all is not bad. As the repositories of cultural knowledge, as teachers of this same knowledge, as political leaders, as religious leaders, as caretakers for younger generations, and as “the preservers of the Indian race, culture, and history,”(Novak, 2009) American Indian elders hold an esteemed and highly valuable position with their communities that many non-Indian elders lack. And it is for exactly these reasons that as Novak (2009) explains, “studies, documentaries, and public ceremonies show that elders have support and respect within Indian society.” This greater respect and support for elders translates into informal support systems that can and frequently do take the place of the resources and supports that are found in non-Indian society.

All of which leaves me with one final question; where do libraries and information agencies fit into this picture. As the purveyors of information, libraries and information agencies that are not located near reservations and rural Indians ought do what they do best: inform the public. The unique struggles of American Indians and their elders cannot be fixed if the general public is unaware that they exist. The month of November is National Native American Heritage month and this is a phenomenal opportunity for libraries and information agencies alike to shed light on these problems. Finally, libraries and information agencies that are near reservations and rural Indian populations can reach out to them to make resources available. Whether it be the forms needed to acquire necessary support, books to be read for pleasure or education, or technological training libraries and agencies in a position to extend a hand should.

References:

Bradley, J., Katz, B. (October 8, 2008). Village Idiocy. The New Republic. Pg. 12.

In LexisNexis Academic Online. Available: http://www.lexisnexis.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=154997  [9/19/11].

D’Angelo A.J., Harry, R.H., Shalala, D., Skupien, M.B., Trujillo, M. (1997). Regional

Differences in Indian Health. Available: http://www.ihs.gov/PublicInfo/Publications/trends97/97RDov.pdf [9/19/11].

Ho, V. (March 11, 2009). Native American Death Rates Soar as Most People are

Living Longer. Seattle pi. Available:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Native-American-death-rates-soar-as-most-people-1302192.php [9/19/11].

Novak, M. (2009). Issues in Aging (2^nd ed). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.