Social Aspects of Aging in Indigenous Communities


Book Description

"As an Alaska Native (Unangax) raised among my Elders, I was taught Indigenous ways of thinking, the importance of honoring and respecting our Elders and all people and as I moved through the Western education system, I came to realize the knowledge of the land, the water, and the environment taught to me by Elders in my family and community was not in the textbooks, not shared by others, not honored or respected when shared in a group setting"--




The Collective Spirit of Aging Across Cultures


Book Description

The collective, inclusive, and intersectional framework used in this book speaks to the significance of understanding aging across diverse cultures from multiple perspectives, but still as a shared human experience. The underlying message of the book is that although we are unique and different in our aging processes, we are ultimately connected through this physical, mental and spiritual experience of aging. Thus, regardless of whether we are service providers, service recipients, educators or merely fellow human beings, it is important that we approach the aging experience through a collective lens for discovering and sharing resources as we age; honoring the past while simultaneously accepting that the future is here. A few select examples of key findings from this collaborative work are as follows. First, despite progress in the field, certain issues remain to be addressed including the challenges of racism and sexism, mistreatment, the digital divide, poverty, and other social and economic crises in urban and rural communities as they relate to our aging population. Second, the need for sustaining a sense of independence among the aged and interdependence among supportive systems is warranted. Third, our elders continue to benefit from culturally competent services community-based health interventions and social services that addresses normative and emerging challenges for them. Fourth, spirituality in both indigenous and contemporary perspectives remains important for our elders’ development and quality of life.




Aging People, Aging Places


Book Description

Bringing together academic research, practitioner reflections and personal narratives from older adults across Canada, this text provides a rare spotlight on the local implications of aging in Canadian cities and communities. They provide a wide-ranging and comprehensive discussion of how to build supportive communities for Canadians of all ages.




Indigenous Peoples and Dementia


Book Description

Dementia is on the rise around the world, and health organizations in Canada, the United States, and New Zealand are responding to the urgent need – voiced by communities and practitioners – for guidance on how best to address memory loss in Indigenous communities. This innovative volume responds to the call by bringing together, for the first time, studies and Indigenous teaching stories that address three key areas of concern: prevalence, causes, and public discourse; Indigenous perspectives on care and prevention; and culturally safe application of research to Elder care. Collectively, the contributors demonstrate that care must be grounded in collaborative research informed by Indigenous knowledge and worldviews.




Aging People, Aging Places


Book Description

How well do the places where we live support the wellbeing of older adults? The Canadian population is growing older and is reshaping the nation’s economic, social and cultural future. However, the built and social environments of many communities, neighbourhoods and cities have not been designed to help Canadians age well. Bringing together academic research, practitioner reflections and personal narratives from older adults across Canada, this cutting-edge text provides a rare spotlight on the local implications of aging in Canadian cities and communities. It explores employment, housing, transportation, cultural safety, health, planning and more, to provide a wide-ranging and comprehensive discussion of how to build supportive communities for Canadians of all ages.




Transitions and the Lifecourse


Book Description

This book offers a unique perspective on ideas about late life as expressed in social policy and socio-cultural constructs of age with lived experience.




First Nations and Inuit Older Adults and Aging Well in Ottawa, Canada


Book Description

Urban First Nations and Inuit older adults are aging in a Western-centric sociopolitical environment that is experiencing significant social change due to population aging and urbanization. Consequently, urban communities are facing increasing pressures to respond to the needs of the growing older adult population. As a result of these pressures, older adults are urged to "age well" to reduce their "burden" on society; however, older adults do not all define aging well in the same way and they do not all have the same opportunities to age well. Through my research, I aimed to address a gap in the academic literature concerning urban-dwelling First Nations and Inuit older adults and aging well. Ultimately, my goal was to identify how First Nations and Inuit older adults living in Ottawa could be supported to age well in ways that reflect their urban Indigenous identities, cultural perspectives, and life course. My specific research questions are four-fold: 1) Are Indigenous older adults marginalized through dominant aging well frameworks?; 2) how do community-dwelling First Nations and Inuit older adults (aged 55 years and over) living in Ottawa, Canada, define and negotiate aging well in an urban environment?; 3) what community-level factors contribute to First Nations and Inuit older adults (aged 55 years and over) feeling supported to age well in the city of Ottawa?; and 4) how do community stakeholders in Ottawa produce understandings of supporting urban Indigenous older adults to age well? Informed by a postcolonial theoretical framework, I conducted this research using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in partnerships with the Odawa Native Friendship Centre and Tungasuvvingat Inuit. To address my research questions, I conducted semi-structured interviews with nine First Nations older adults, focus groups with 23 Inuit older adults, and photovoice with two First Nations older adults. Additionally, I conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with community stakeholders (i.e., decision-makers and service providers. My doctoral research makes novel contributions to the fields of kinesiology and gerontology by expanding postcolonial theory to issues related to aging research with urban Indigenous older adults; contributing to the emerging literature that brings diverse perspectives into conversations on aging well; challenging assumptions related to urban Indigenous populations and aging well; illustrating the tensions within aging well initiatives that intended to be available for all older adults; and revealing the tensions within efforts to address reconciliation with Indigenous older adults.




A Portrait of Seniors in Canada, 2006


Book Description

Aging of the population is probably one of the most discussed and debated subjects in Canada today.




Ethnicity and the Dementias


Book Description

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.




Decolonizing Social Work


Book Description

Riding on the success of Indigenous Social Work Around the World, this book provides case studies to further scholarship on decolonization, a major analytical and activist paradigm among many of the world’s Indigenous Peoples, including educators, tribal leaders, activists, scholars, politicians, and citizens at the grassroots level. Decolonization seeks to weaken the effects of colonialism and create opportunities to promote traditional practices in contemporary settings. Establishing language and cultural programs; honouring land claims, teaching Indigenous history, science, and ways of knowing; self-esteem programs, celebrating ceremonies, restoring traditional parenting approaches, tribal rites of passage, traditional foods, and helping and healing using tribal approaches are central to decolonization. These insights are brought to the arena of international social work still dominated by western-based approaches. Decolonization draws attention to the effects of globalization and the universalization of education, methods of practice, and international ’development’ that fail to embrace and recognize local knowledges and methods. In this volume, Indigenous and non-Indigenous social work scholars examine local cultures, beliefs, values, and practices as central to decolonization. Supported by a growing interest in spirituality and ecological awareness in international social work, they interrogate trends, issues, and debates in Indigenous social work theory, practice methods, and education models including a section on Indigenous research approaches. The diversity of perspectives, decolonizing methodologies, and the shared struggle to provide effective professional social work interventions is reflected in the international nature of the subject matter and in the mix of contributors who write from their contexts in different countries and cultures, including Australia, Canada, Cuba, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and the USA.