Exploring the appropriateness of culturally safe dementia information with indigenous people in an urban northern ontario community

Abstract

This knowledge translation project explored the appropriateness of utilizing health promotion materials developed for a national Indigenous population with Indigenous people living in a northern Ontario urban community. A de-colonized, community-based participatory action research approach using tribal epistemology assisted in establishing a local Indigenous advisory group and a partnership with the N'Swakamok Native Friendship Centre. Two focus groups (n = 8) with Indigenous adults and five one-on-one interviews with Indigenous caregivers of a person with dementia informed a qualitative thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from the data: (1) the need for shared understandings of Indigenous and Western cultures in health care; (2) improving cross-cultural communication within health-related encounters; (3) grounding health promotion materials in culture; and (4) Indigenous health literacy strategies for dementia awareness. As health care providers search for effective ways to communicate with Indigenous people, it is important to deliver locally and culturally relevant information to improve uptake and effectiveness by Indigenous people.