Childhood Separation

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Childhood Separation TraumaThe Stolen
Generation Effect on Kids Brains Adult Outcomes
Tony Broe the Koori Growing Old Well Study
(KGOWS) Team with Emily Hindman, Sue Hoskins, Lea
Williams, Holly Mack, Gail Daylight
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(No Transcript)
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Background Aboriginal Australians - 1788 to
1960s

• From 1788 - British governors, settlers, police,
  soldiers - saw Australia as territory open to
  take over as terra nullius unoccupied. The
  Aboriginal people - who had successfully managed
  the Biggest Estate on Earth for 9000 years
  were removed from their family lands nations by
  the invaders
• With loss of their land Aboriginal people lost
  their long term job their purpose-in-life,
  connections to culture, spirit
• Frontier wars, brutal fringe camps missions,
  new diseases (measles, flu, small pox) decimated
  Aboriginal numbers
• And from the early 1900s Aboriginal people had
  their children removed - with the claim
  Aborigines were a dying race

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Background Aboriginal Health and Ageing
1960s to 2014

• However
• From the 1960s - infant mortality has steadily
  fallen with lots more Aboriginal kids surviving
  to adult life
• From the 2000s - adult life-span has been rising
  fertility is starting to fall with smaller
  families
• The Australian Aboriginal population is
• Growing rapidly with a large young population
  (0-24 years)
• Ageing rapidly led by the young old people
  45-64 years
• But showing high dementia rates - 3 times
  non-Indigenous
• Earlier onset of dementia than non-Indigenous
  population

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What improved Aboriginal Health and Ageing?
Over the past 50 years

1. Access to basic human rights? Citizenship 67
   Freedom Rides 60s Self determination 70s
   Racial Discrimination Act 1975 Full citizenship
   Rights only in 1983
2. Some Recognition of prior ownership of the Land?
   Land Rights 1970s on Redfern Speech 92 Native
   Title - Mabo 92 Wik 96 Apology 2008 - But
   Racially discriminatory Wik Amendments (UN) 98
   no Treaty or Recognition in the Constitution are
   barriers to full reconciliation
3. Improved housing health care health services?
   In NT and Australia wide - from the 90s (N.T. -
   Thomas et al 2006 AIHW)

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What has not improved? Over the past 50
years

• Brain Growth opportunities? Removal of children
  produces a cascade of lost opportunities from
  simple lack of love stimulus essential to grow
  brains to neglect, abuse, damage to brains to
  loss of opportunity to learn to parent the next
  generation all tickets to enter the Criminal
  Justice System
• Criminal Justice System - Aboriginal kids are 22
  times more likely to enter the CJS another form
  of removal
• Enhanced Early Childhood? Aboriginal kids dont
  get equal kindergarten, pre-school, enriched
  early life, opportunities
• Education Employment Pre-1960s Aboriginal
  schooling was an exercise in denial
  discrimination. It now just lags behind
  non-Indigenous as does Aboriginal employment

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Background to Koori Growing Old Well
Study Services precede Research

• Between 2000 and 2005 at La Perouse, with Gail
  Daylight the Aboriginal Health Link Advisory
  Group
• We set up - a Chronic Complex Care Program and
  a Vascular Health Program got recurrent funding
  
• We re-opened the 2-room Arrunga Health Clinic
  Planned opened in 2005 a 10-room La Perouse
  Aboriginal Community Health Centre Set up La
  Perouse Clinic Services in Child Health, Mother
  Baby Health, ENT, Mental Health, DA and Aged
  Care With GP Primary Care provided by AMS
  Redfern.
• By 2005 We recognised that - to improve ageing
  across the life course we had to tackle Child
  development and Child health and find why
  brains dont grow well

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Koori Growing Old Well Study 2008 - 2012We set
out to find answers to these Questions

• Are dementia rates as high in Urban Aboriginal
  people as our colleagues had found in the Remote
  Kimberley (KICA) Study? - i.e., 3 x
  non-Indigenous?
• We asked - Is Brain and Mind Growth - from
  childhood onward an important factor in
• Having a healthy adult life
• Escaping poverty and getting jobs
• Delaying adult diseases heart, kidney,
  diabetes, injury etc
• Delaying memory loss and dementia

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KGOWS Build Community relationships Engage
partners Request access to lists Recruit
participants

• Mid North Coast NSW
• Coffs Harbour Galambila Aboriginal Medical
  Service
• Kempsey - Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical
  Service and Booroongen Djugun Aged Care
• Nambucca - Daarimba Maarra Aboriginal Health
  Centre
• Metropolitan Sydney
• La Perouse (Randwick Botany) - Aboriginal Land
  Council and Aboriginal Community Health Centre
  Advisory Committee
• Campbelltown Tharawal Aboriginal Medical
  Service

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KOORI GROWING OLD WELL STUDY
5 URBAN/REGIONAL STUDY SITES
Coffs Harbour Nambucca Kempsey
Randwick/Botany Campbelltown
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KGOWS KICA Studies 2005 - 2012Dementia rates
are high in Aboriginal people
RESULTS

Dementia Prevalence by Age
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RESULTS
TYPES of DEMENTIA Urban Aboriginal People
www.neura.edu.au/aboriginal-ageing
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RESULTS
KGOWS Stolen Generation (n 336)
Family Separation N ()
Participant Removed 33 (10)
Relatives taken away 142 (44)
Children taken away 5 (2)
Siblings taken away 40 (13)
Parents taken away 39 (12)
www.neura.edu.au/aboriginal-ageing
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Do early life experiences result in mid-life
health risks and premature brain ageing?

• What happens in childhood grows the mind brain
  to deal with adult life ageing
• We believe positive child experiences grow minds
  brains effectively for adult life ageing
• And negative experiences grow brains, but in the
  wrong way to deal with adult life to grow old
  well

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What Grows healthy Brains Minds?

• We mothers, fathers, grandparents, schools,
  culture, communities working with the genes -
  grow our childrens minds brains from infancy
  to adulthood

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What Grows healthy Brains Minds?

• Consistent and good parenting not Separated as
  a child from family as happened for the Stolen
  Generation
• Having Parents who themselves learnt to parent
  and were not brought up in institutions etc
• Low rates of childhood trauma
• Good childhood education
• Ongoing adult education
• Brain stimulating jobs
• Life-long nurturing and growth of your brain

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Q How does the Mind-Brain grow?

• In practical terms our Minds and Brains work
  together and grow - with the body - as a network
• We fill our minds with experiences and grow our
  brains to hold them as memories guideposts
• Mind-brain growth is a life-long process, however
  the richest growth occurs during parenting and
  education - with lack of trauma stress - in
  infancy and childhood and up to late adolescence

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Q How does the Mind-Brain Grow?We grow it
mothers families schools - and our Genes
MRI Brain Scan Normal Neonate
MRI Brain Scan Normal Adult
A thin strip of thinking Cortex
Masses of gyri Complex Cortex
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Q When does the Mind-Brain Grow?All our lives -
but most growth in Early Years
25 years
7 years
Brain weight
Adult years
1 year
From Peña-Melian (2000). Human Neurodevelopment
15 99-112.
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What are the positive factors in Early Life
for mind/brain growth?

• Good Parenting/Grandparenting/Family
• Setting consistent boundaries
• Access to formal education
• Informal learning, reading, I.T.
• Supportive, secure, safe loving family

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What are the negative factors in early life for
mind/brain growth?

• Separated from family/Stolen gen/Justice System
• Lack of skills for parenting
• Giving kids inconsistent boundaries
• Discrimination
• Adverse Childhood Events/Child Trauma
• Exposure to Violence towards women
• Childhood Trauma, Violence Abuse
• Childhood exposure to Alcohol/Drug abuse and to
  Mental Illness
• Childhood exposure/entry to Criminal Justice
  system

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Q What is the Stolen Generation effect?

• Loss of the richest opportunities those given
  by a loving family - at the crucial time for
  mind/brain growth - infancy and childhood up to
  adolescence
• Loss of the opportunity to learn to be a parent
  and for gaining an education - often with major
  physical and emotional trauma, stress and more
  negative experiences than growing up in your own
  family
• Developing resilience may overcome some of these
  disadvantages

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Q How can Early Life Stress affect adults?
Child Stress Removal cause

• Anxiety Depression
• Poor Diet, Obesity
• Smoking - Alcohol Drug use
• High Blood Pressure
• Social isolation
• Brain Injury
• Family Violence Trauma
• These are Known causes of mid-life death
  disability and are also Known risk factors for
  later life brain decline and dementia

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Q What grows Brains Minds in mid-life and
later life

• Good jobs and income
• Adult education, learning, reading,
• Using the Net, Wii, Google, Web, Games
• Bringing them Home - programs
• Social connections
• Exercise, fitness, wt. loss
• Low BP and cholesterol
• No cigs Moderate alcohol

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Acknowledgements

• NHMRC and AHMRC
• Department of Health and Ageing
• Ageing Disability Home Care NSW
• Our Aboriginal communities and partners (La
  Perouse Land Council, Tharawal AMS, Durri AMS,
  Booroongen Djugun, Galambila AMS, Daarimba Maarra
  AHC, local Elders Groups and Aboriginal Guidance
  Groups)
• Our Research team