Safe Care & Dementia Management

Caregiving is central to the well-being of Indigenous elders living with dementia, and our work focuses on enhancing the understanding of caregiving through cultural lenses. We explore how caregiving traditions are shaped by Indigenous knowledge systems and family structures.

This area emphasizes the vital role that caregivers—often extended family members and community members—play in ensuring the dignity, comfort, and cultural relevance of care for elders. We also highlight the challenges caregivers face, including the lack of culturally appropriate resources and support systems.

Terms to Know

  • The ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level. In Indigenous communities, this concept may be deeply rooted in cultural practices and values.

    Reference: University of Washington. (2023). Indigenous perspectives on dementia. The Indigenous Brain Health Project. https://depts.washington.edu/mbwc/news/article/indigenous-perspectives-on-dementia

  • Strategies for addressing dementia often include medical interventions to manage symptoms, psychosocial therapies, and support systems designed to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their caregivers.

  • Healthcare approaches developed and implemented by the community, ensuring that care is culturally appropriate and meets the specific needs of the population.

  • An environment that is spiritually, socially, and emotionally safe for people, where there is no assault, challenge, or denial of their identity, and where their experience is acknowledged.

    Culturally safe care are practices that are free from racism and discrimination, ensuring that individuals of all cultural backgrounds, feel safe and understood within the healthcare system.


    Reference: Webkamigad, S., Warry, W., Blind, M., & Jacklin, K. (2020). An Approach to Improve Dementia Health Literacy in Indigenous Communities. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, 35(1), 69–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-019-09388-2

  • Indigenous-centered dementia care are approaches to dementia care that prioritizes the needs, values, and cultural practices of indigenous populations, ensuring that care strategies are culturally relevant and respectful.

    This includes tools and methods used to assess cognitive decline that are tailored to the specific cultural context of the individuals being evaluated. These may include adaptations in language, visual elements, and metaphors to ensure relevance and accuracy for indigenous populations

  • An approach to care that acknowledges and responds to the impacts of trauma, particularly in vulnerable populations. In Indigenous contexts, this includes understanding the effects of colonization, residential schools, and intergenerational trauma on health.

Neat Summaries & Reports!

This section highlights key reports and papers focused on culturally aligned dementia care. It explores community engagement, the development of culturally appropriate caregiving practices, and the unique social and physiological factors involved in supporting caregivers of Indigenous elders with dementia.

Caregiving in Indigenous Dementia Care - Review