Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Report 2022

Running head: COPD 1
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Student’s Name:
Instructor’s Name:
Name of University:
Course Number:
Date of Submission

COPD 2
Introduction
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease
that obstructs the flow of air from the lungs. It is one of the leading causes of death and disability
and is rated as the third leading cause of death globally (Burney et al., 2015). 4% of the death
rate in Australia is attributable to COPD (AIHW, 2014). The condition is common among senior
adults because its prevalence increases with age. Studies have reported that the burden of COPD
is severe in the Indigenous community than their non-Indigenous counterparts, especially those
dwelling in the remote and rural areas (Calabria et al., 2010; Andreasyan & Hoy, 2010). COPD
disease trajectory begins with the unusual feelings of sickness followed by a pattern of good and
bad days with bad exacerbations bringing anxiety and fears of imminent death. A diagnosis at
this stage will reveal COPD. This pattern will continue for the rest of life until one is unable to
breathe and dies (Lange et al., 2015).
Background
My name is Birrani Jiemba and I am a male aged 55 years old of the Aboriginal and
Torres Islander community in Melbourne, Australia. I was born and raised in the remote areas of
Melbourne but later moved to the city to work and raise a family. I am dark-skinned, with a
broad nose and curly hair. Until today, I reside in Melbourne city with my family consisting of
my family and our two children. My leisure activities include smoking cigarettes, alcohol
drinking and playing chess. My goal in life is to secure a bright future for our children and to live
a long healthy life. As an Aboriginal person, I have confidence in the traditional system of
healing than in the Western health system. I believe that illness is caused by social and spiritual
dysfunction. I strictly observe my cultural distinctiveness because it is integral for spiritual,
physical and emotional wellbeing (Oliver, 2013). I have one major regret in life despite my

COPD 3
strictness to observing my cultural practices. During the burial of my father, I forgot and called
his name and was seriously reprimanded by the elders since it is against the aboriginal culture.
Blog Entries
Blog 1: The Diagnosis
I remember it was during lunch break and I had found myself in a hospital lobby waiting
for the results of my medical check-up. This was my third time to seek for medication for the
same condition from the Western system of health. How I found myself there is a long story but
in short, I was persuaded by my family friend and my eldest son. After twenty minutes of
waiting the results were out and I received the shocking news that I had chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD). To me, this was an indication of my failure to effectively discharge
my obligations to the society and land. The realization of such illnesses meant that I had to seek
the intervention of sorcery and supernatural powers to understand the possible cause. This made
me more distressed. Moreover, the COPD diagnosis meant that death was imminent and dying at
55 years is considered by the Aboriginal culture as a supernatural cause and could only be
counteracted by a traditional healer on condition that the sickness is not the result of legitimate
punishment. The disease also meant that I could no longer pursue my future goals and my family
would suffer in my absence.
Blog 2: Admission
The next critical decision after diagnosis was to decide on the treatment approach of
which I had only two options. The first option was to ignore my cultural beliefs and choose to be
treated in the western health system and the second option was to stick to my traditional beliefs
and travel back to my home in the remote areas of Melbourne for traditional healing. I was