On a warm October afternoon, twenty Hopi elders gathered at the KUYI Hopi
Radio station. Sitting at tables eating a luncheon of traditional Hopi foods,
they listened while a Hopi Health Care physician hosted a special program on
elder abuse. Taking calls from the audience and community members, the on-air
discussion brought to light a painful and difficult subject that affects many
Hopi elders. To hear attention being brought to their concerns was both comforting
and illuminating.
High on the mesas in Northeastern Arizona, the Hopi people have lived for
nearly 2000 years. Home to the oldest continuously inhabited site in North
America, Hopi is one of the most geographically isolated places in the United
States. And yet, modern influences and economic changes have led to great health
disparities between the Hopi people and the general Arizona population.
Hopi elders are sometimes put at a special disadvantage though social and
physical isolation. Hopi is their primary language and when medical information
is explained in English, the message is often difficult to internalize, resulting
in lessened motivation and understanding. Elders rely on KUYI, the local public
radio station, to decrease that isolation and connect with the community.
Through an alliance between the Hopi Health Care Center, KUYI, Hopi Radio,
the Hopi Tribal Senior Services, and the Institute for Health Professions an
initiative was started to encourage Hopi elders to participate in acquiring
health services and to provide information they need in a culturally appropriate
manner.
Through a generous grant from Sound Partners, a program of the Benton Foundation,
the partners have developed a radio show for elders to bridge some of the barriers
to achieving better health. A pre-existing health show produced and hosted
by Hopi Health Care Center physicians was expanded to focus on issues for elders.
Started in 2000 as a live, call-in talk show, the “House Calls” program
airs weekly.
Produced quarterly, the “House Calls” senior segments are aired
live, with an audience of seniors in the studio, as well as the radio audience.
Topics have focused on issues ranging from depression to elder abuse to falls
and all shows are translated into Hopi. Along with a well-known gerontologist
from the Institute for Health Professions and University of Arizona, Dr. Georgia
Hall, the show is hosted by Dr Anna Lewis, who takes calls and answers questions
and comments from the audience.
Pre-production work on the show is extensive. Dr. Hall and Dr. Lewis travel
throughout the reservation, visiting senior centers, educating their clients
on the topics that will be discussed at the upcoming show. Great efforts are
made to invite elders to be a part of the live audience and to help them feel
at ease. At each show a meal is served to the elders and they are invited to
offer their questions and comments prior to airtime if they aren’t comfortable
with presenting them during the actual show.
In addition to the radio show, the project involves other public health media
outlets. Informational hand-outs are distributed in senior centers, at the
Hopi Health Care Center, and in the live audience. Both Dr. Lewis and Dr. Hall
locally publish articles that coincide with the topics on the show. The hosts
of the shows meet with elders to discuss the issues at greater length. In addition,
public service announcements are aired to further remind elders and their family
members of the important health topics.
The intention of the radio project is to bridge the communication gap between
the Hopi Health Care Center and the Hopi elders they serve, using community
radio as the primary mode of communication. The project also enhances the awareness
of Hopi Elders about how they can take an active role in promoting wellness
and preventing illness and disability.
Teaming up with community members has been a great success for local elders
and the Hopi Health Care Center. Although community members are sometimes shy
about calling in during the regular “House Calls,” the number of
calls that come in during the senior segments is overwhelming. “Our program
on elder abuse had an effect we hardly expected,” said Dr. Lewis. “We
were getting calls for a half hour after the mikes were shut down and that
day alone there were five requests to rebroadcast the episode.” The elderly
radio project offers elders an opportunity to learn, to teach, and to have
an open discussion with their physicians about timely and important topics.
For more information, please contact Dr. Anna Lewis, Hopi Health Care Center
P.O. Box 4000, Polacca, AZ 86042, 928-737-4646
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