Generally, as adults become older, they are increasingly concerned with how they will maintain their independence as much as possible as long as possible. In this case, independence may not be defined in the same as as in the non-Indian world. For example, the Sioux have a centuries-old tradition of sharing, "When I have food, everyone gets to eat". Most Native American adults over age fifty have a home to live in and a car to drive. By the time the woman at left can no longer lift heavy boxes and has to retire, she may have younger relatives who need housing or transportation who live with her. These relatives pay for groceries or gas, or drive their older relative. This type of situation is not perceived as being dependent on younger family members. It could be argued that the younger relatives are dependent on the older ones for a home or the use of a car. This attitude is really foreign to Sioux culture. When a family member, older or younger, has resources to share, they do.
Independence with regard to self-care skills is a completely different issue. In part, this may be due to modesty. As Dr. Longie remarked regarding his hospital experience following his injury:
I remember being totally embarrassed every time the nurses bathed me, and doctors examined me (keep in mind at this stage I was still completely paralyzed below the waist and couldn’t lift my left arm it was so weak). This reservation boy was not used to have strange people constantly observing me in my “birthday suit.” I also remember being wheeled out of my room and into a classroom where the doctor/instructor more or less used me as a guinea pig. He described my condition to a group of medical students all the while pointing at or lifting different parts of my body. I was extremely embarrassed through it all.
Similarly, an older woman on the Turtle Mountain reservation stated to her daughters that, were she to become infirm, she did not want to be cared for by relatives having to 'wipe her butt for her' and would prefer to be in a nursing home if it came to that.There are two ways to maintain your physical independence as long as possible, and in this section, we will discuss both of these:
- Take steps to reduce your chances of having health problems, and
- Find the means to deal with health problems that do occur, such as losing your eyesight or limitations in your ability to walk, lift heavy objects, etc.
Reducing your chances of health problems