The Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (CICA) is a culturally informed cognitive assessment tool based on the Kimberly Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) from Australia. A group of community partners and researchers, led by Jennifer Walker, collaboratively validated the cognitive assessment tool with Anishinaabe communities on Manitoulin Island.
Further work to develop culturally-informed adaptations of the CICA continues across Canada, including a Nakoda adaptation developed with Carry the Kettle First Nation, Saskatchewan (publication forthcoming) and an urban Indigenous adaptation in Calgary, Alberta.
Awareness of Actions to Reduce Dementia Risk Among First Nations People in File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council: An Adaptation of the Brain Health PRO Platform
This is a community-based research projectbetween File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council in Saskatchewan and the Brain Health PRO Platform, an online educational platform aimed at decreasing cognitive decline in older adults. A series of sequential focus groups wereheld with community partners todevelop guidelinesforcreating a First Nations adaptation of the Brain Health PRO platform.
Investigators: Jennifer Walker, Joyla Furlano, Gail Boehme, Sylvie Belleville, Natalie Phillips, Nicole Anderson, Laura Middleton, Walter Wittich, Nicole Akan, LetebrhanFerrow.
Funder: Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging (CCNA) (Team 18: Issues in Dementia Care for Indigenous Populations).
Understanding Two-Spirit Aging and Informing Two-Spirit Inclusion in the CLSA
This exploratory project has a dual purpose: develop a better understanding of Two-Spirit aging and dementia through an analysis of data collected through the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) and identify how the CLSA can be improved to collect more relevant data on Two-Spirit older adults. This research is being done in collaboration with the Two-Spirit program at the Community Based Research Centre (CBRC).
Investigators: Jennifer Walker (co-principal investigator), Jessy Dame (co-principal investigator), Gillian Einstein, Megan O’Connell, Keith King, Nicole Akan, Kathy McGilton.
Funder: Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging (CCNA) (Team 18: Issues in Dementia Care for Indigenous Populations & Women, Sex, Gender and Dementia Program).
A National Indigenous Dementia Surveillance Initiative: A Feasibility Study
Phase I
The goal of this work was to assess the feasibility of a national Indigenous dementia surveillance initiative. The project team identified and explored the dementia-related information needs of Indigenous communities, organizations and leadership through engagement efforts to develop a profile of existing Indigenous dementia surveillance initiatives through an environmental scan of existing dementia surveillance approaches and initiatives.
The learnings of this project highlighted there are many key foundational components missing that are required to build a culturally safe national approach to dementia surveillance in Indigenous populations, which is inclusive of First Nations, Inuit and Metis perspectives.
This finding formed a driver for our next phase, which is to build on previous work that established a culturally-informed, reliable and valid cognitive assessment tool and approach with Anishinaabe communities on Manitoulin Island, the Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (CICA).
Phase II
The goal of this project is to contribute to enhanced Indigenous dementia surveillance by creating and piloting a robust CICA training platform, and by enhancing data collection to increase monitoring for dementia. To achieve this overall goal, we will:
Develop and launch a virtual CICA Training Program
Work with community partners to embed the CICA into electronic medical records (EMR) systems
Deliver CICA training and provide support to increase uptake of the CICA
Conduct an analysis of pilot surveillance data to explore the relationships between CICA scores and other sociodemographic and health correlates using EMR data in Anishinabek communities
Wholistic Integrated Safe and Effective (WISE Care): Integrated Knowledge Translation to Address Multi-morbidity and Promote Healthy Aging in Indigenous People
In partnership with Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services and Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, this project aimed to identify services, resources and support to address the unmet needs of Indigenous persons living with or at risk of developing multiple chronic co-morbidities (MCC) to support families, communities and caregivers.
Models for Indigenous Dementia Care (MInD Care): Aging in Place in First Nations Communities: A Community-Based Approach to Supporting Older Indigenous People with Dementia.
In partnership with Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services and Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, this work worked with formal and informal Indigenous caregivers to explore common caregiving experiences and patterns to gain insight into Anishinaabek models of care and better understand how to appropriately support Anishinaabek families dealing with a dementia diagnosis.
Supporting Indigenous Caregivers: Barriers and facilitators to implementing culturally safe dementia caregiver support groups with Indigenous communities and local Alzheimer Societies
Guided by community partners at Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, Megan O’Connell (University of Saskatchewan), Jennifer Walker (McMaster University), and Edith Merceica (Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services) are responding to community identified priorities to co-designculturally safer caregiver support groupsfor Indigenous care partners of people living with dementia. This project aims to co-design a scalable and sustainable model for local Alzheimer Societies to partner with local Indigenous community organizations to implement culturally safer support groups while developing educational materials to increase capacity of Alzheimer Society staff for providing culturally informed care.
Investigators: Megan E. O’Connell, Jennifer Walker (co-principal investigator), Edith Mercieca, Laura Middleton, Pam Roach, Saskia Sivananthan, Terry Caporossi, and Christina Spadafora.
