{"id":210105,"date":"2025-02-03T14:19:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T00:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=210105"},"modified":"2025-02-03T14:19:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T00:19:45","slug":"nh-end-of-life-care-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/03\/nh-end-of-life-care-study\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr>UH<\/abbr> study highlights Native Hawaiian end-of-life care preferences"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/manoa-aging-helping-care.jpg\" alt=\"nurse helping elderly woman\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-210116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/manoa-aging-helping-care.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/manoa-aging-helping-care-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/manoa-aging-helping-care-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A study by the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/hakupuna\/\">H\u0101 K\u016bpuna &#8211; National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders<\/a> sheds light on the end-of-life care preferences of Native Hawaiian k\u016bpuna (elders). Led by Assistant Professor Miquela Ibrao, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> researchers and ALU LIKE, Inc., the study identifies culturally tailored strategies to honor k\u016bpuna values.<\/p>\n<p>Published in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/10.1089\/jpm.2024.0332\"><em>Journal of Palliative Medicine<\/em><\/a>, the research is based on interviews with k\u016bpuna in rural areas across <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. It highlights four key themes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Death is not an end but a transition that honors relationality, ancestors and the land.<br \/>&#8212;Miquela Ibrao<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cultural traditions in healthcare<\/strong>: K\u016bpuna often use <span aria-label=\"laau\">l&#257;&#699;au<\/span> <span aria-label=\"lapaau\">lapa&#699;au<\/span> (herbal medicine) and lomilomi (massage) as integral parts of their care.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Family-centered decisions<\/strong>: <span aria-label=\"ohana\">&#699;Ohana<\/span> (family) plays a crucial role in healthcare choices, extending to deceased ancestors and the <span aria-label=\"aina\">&#699;&#257;ina<\/span> (land), which are seen as sources of guidance and healing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Preference for home-based care<\/strong>: Many k\u016bpuna wish to age and die at home but fear burdening their families. Limited long-term care options in rural areas add to the challenge.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Trust in providers<\/strong>: K\u016bpuna value healthcare providers who &ldquo;talk story&rdquo; and understand their culture, fostering trust and respect.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&ldquo;Death is not an end but a transition that honors relationality, ancestors and the land,&rdquo; said Ibrao. &ldquo;Decolonizing end-of-life care means respecting cultural beliefs and embracing Indigenous wisdom about healing and living well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The researchers recommend cultural humility training for providers, increasing Native Hawaiian representation in healthcare, and including cultural practitioners in care teams. These strategies aim to ensure k\u016bpuna receive compassionate care that aligns with their traditions.<\/p>\n<p>Ha K\u016bpuna, one of three National Resource Centers for Native Elders funded by the <abbr>U.S.<\/abbr> Administration on Aging, is housed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/thompson\/faculty\/\">Thompson School of Social Work &#38; Public Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Native Hawaiian k\u016bpuna value end-of-life care that honors cultural traditions, family connections and trust in providers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1133,970,1467,1363,242,158,596,9],"class_list":["post-210105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-aging","tag-center-on-aging","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-native-hawaiian-health","tag-publication","tag-myron-b-thompson-school-of-social-work","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210105"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210121,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210105\/revisions\/210121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}