Health Care Needs for Older Māori: A Study of Kaumātua and Kuia
Paul R Hirini, Ross A Flett, Nikolaos Kazantzis, Nigel R Long, Michelle A Millar, Carol MacDonald
This paper reports on the findings and policy implications of a study that examined health status, activity limitations and rates of health service utilisation among kuia and kaumātua, and compared the findings with those for older adults in general.
The Māori sub-sample of a nationwide survey reported worse physical illness on all four measures of health compared with the overall adult sample. Despite this higher rate of reported health problems, all rates of health service utilisation were lower than those of the overall sample with the exception of accident and emergency use and hospital admissions.
These findings of poorer health coupled with low levels of health care use clearly indicate unmet need and inequity in access to formal health care for older Māori.
Explanations for this include:
- the influence of within-group beliefs and experiences, which may shape attitudes and behaviours, including mistrust of formal health care institutions
- Māori social networks may provide informal health care
- these factors, plus institutional barriers, may cause a late uptake of services
If the policy objective of equity in access and utilisation of health care is to be realised for kuia and kaumātau, all of these factors will need consideration.
