A community paramedic is sharing his story on how we learned the Yunka Dene language while treating Indigenous people at the Stellat’en First Nation near Fort Fraser.
Ivan Hayward works at Station 763 in Fraser Lake and talked about how learning the native tongue strengthened patient care.
Hayward said the elders in that community have been appreciative of his efforts to learn the Indigenous language.
“I started speaking the language the more I visited with them and then they would teach me a bit more each time and then started to tell me medical terms and everything. Sometimes I would say something incorrectly, they would laugh then teach me correctly.”
“The culture is embedded in their language. An example of that is when you are leaving, you don’t say goodbye, there is no word for that in their language.”
When Hayward first arrived to Stellat’en Health Director Cynthia Munger gave him the language dictionary if he wanted to work with elders.
Hayward took the dictionary and began to learn the language on his own. He also practices with Elders when he does home visits.
The effort he is making to speak their language has led to a better relationship with patients.
“They really respect that I am learning their language. There are very few people who aren’t Indigenous who aren’t speaking the language. Speaking the language instantly builds rapport and it also allows some more holistic care. It creates a better working relationship.”
“We as community paramedics visit those people each week and help connect them to resources they need and the education they need about their health conditions so they can manage them and stay healthier so they don’t need to call 9-1-1.”
Currently, Ivan sees about 19 clients across Stellat’en, Nadleh Whut’en, and nearby communities.
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