Dementia Publications
Aging well is a collective effort, with older adults sharing stories, songs, teachings, and language to stay active, connected, and purposeful. Community activities and cultural traditions enhance well-being and foster a sense of purpose.
Join us as we explore and explore knowledge on Indigenous-led approaches to healthcare and education. Some topics include:
Traditional knowledge that advances Indigenous health equity through strengths-based practices that challenge inequities in healthcare and education
Relationality & co-learning, emphasizing humility, respect, and reciprocity in service-learning with Indigenous communities to foster decolonization
Addressing the unique needs of urban Indigenous people with dementia, including those living with early-onset dementia
Social and cultural factors influencing brain health and approaches to care, including interventions to create equitable, culturally safe healthcare. This also involves understanding colonial drivers and cultural protectors of brain health, as explored through a synthesis of research on culturally aligned care models, health communication, and structural barriers affecting Indigenous brain health globally
Shifts in Indigenous healthcare models driven by pandemic-related adaptations in Indigenous primary healthcare and their potential for long-term improvements
Selected Publications on Dementia from Our Team – More Coming Soon
Colonial drivers and cultural protectors of brain health among Indigenous peoples internationally
Frontiers Public Health 2024
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1346753
Authors: Rita Henderson¹, Joyla A. Furlano², Shayla Scott Claringbold³, Ashley Cornect-Benoit³, Anh Ly⁴, Jennifer Walker⁵, Lisa Zaretsky¹, Pamela Roach¹,³
Despite higher rates of dementia among Indigenous populations worldwide, research has largely prioritized modifiable risk factors over cultural and contextual determinants. This mini scoping review synthesizes 23 sources to explore social and cultural factors shaping brain health and cognition in Indigenous populations, expanding conventional approaches to incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems.
The findings reveal significant gaps in culturally aligned care and emphasize overlooked research priorities important to Indigenous Peoples. Key themes include health communication, provider knowledge of Indigenous health, culturally relevant tools for screening and assessment, and grounded care models. Current research remains focused on individual-level risk factors, with insufficient attention to broader social determinants such as isolation, discrimination, and inequitable care. Addressing structural barriers and recognizing the role of cultural connection will advance brain health understanding for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
Indigenous Strengths-Based Approaches To Healthcare And Health Professions Education–Recognising The Value Of Elders’ Teachings
Health Education Journal 2022
DOI: 10.1177/00178969221088921
Authors: Andrea Kennedy 1, Anika Sehgal 2, Joanna Szabo 1, Katharine McGowan 3, Gabrielle Lindstrom 4, Pamela Roach 5, Lynden Lindsay Crowshoe 5, Cheryl Barnabe 6
Healthcare professionals are often taught and supported in approaches that perpetuate inequity for Indigenous peoples; ignoring Indigenous strengths, disregard human rights, and reproduce structural inequalities. Identified are strategies offering a promising means to advance Indigenous health equity through strengths-based actions that change existing narratives and advance health equity.
Relational Learning With Indigenous Communities: Elders’ And Students’ Perspectives On Reconciling Indigenous Service-Learning
Advances in Theory and Methodology 2020
DOI: 10.37333/001c.18585
Authors: Andrea Kennedy, Katharine McGowan, Gabrielle Lindstrom, Christian Cook, Yasmin Dean, James Stauch, Cheryl Barnabe, Stephen Price
The core purpose of relational learning with Indigenous communities translates to maintaining good relations through humility, respect, honesty, and reciprocity while responding to the interconnected priorities of the land, traditional ways, Elders, and common language. Study findings signal decolonizing opportunities for relational learning with Indigenous communities.
Urban Indigenous Experiences Of Living With Early-Onset Dementia: A Qualitative Study In Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Journal of Neurology Research 2022
DOI: 10.14740/jnr713
Authors: Meagan Ody, Cathryn Rodrigues, Parkash Banwait, Lynden Crowshoe
More research is needed on the experiences of Indigenous people with dementia, including Early on-set dementia (EOD), and of their families who care for them. Through a better understanding of the Indigenous experiences of dementia, urban healthcare providers can be more aware of the needs of urban Indigenous people living with dementia, and specifically EOD, and may face and plan to co-design health services accordingly.
Indigenous-specific cultural safety within health and dementia care: A scoping review of reviews
CRKN Elsevier Additional Journals 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114658
Authors: Christina Chakanyuka, Juanita-Dawne R Bacsu, Andrea DesRoches, Jessy Dame, Leah Carrier, Paisly Symenuk, Megan E O'Connell, Lynden Crowshoe, Jennifer Walker, Lisa Bourque Bearskin
Globally, health inequities experienced by Indigenous communities are often described and documented in terms of deficits and disease. However, health disparities are complex and involve numerous underlying issues beyond the social determinants of health. Indigenous Peoples face unique barriers to accessing culturally safe and equitable healthcare, including racism, systemic injustice, and a historical legacy of colonialism. There is a paucity of knowledge on Indigenous-specific cultural safety interventions to support health and dementia care...
Propelled By The Pandemic: Responses And Shifts In Primary Healthcare Models For Indigenous Peoples
Healthcare Policy 2022
DOI: 10.12927/hcpol.2022.26826
Authors: Cheryl Barnabe, Stephanie Montesanti, Chris Sarin, Tyler White, Reagan Bartel, Rita Henderson, Andrea Kennedy, Adam Murry, Pamela Roach, Lynden Crowshoe
More research is needed on the experiences of Indigenous people with dementia, including Early on-set dementia (EOD), and of their families who care for them. Through a better understanding of the Indigenous experiences of dementia, urban healthcare providers can be more aware of the needs of urban Indigenous people living with dementia, and specifically EOD, and may face and plan to co-design health services accordingly.