Dementia and Indigenous Communities Part 2: A cultural perspective of dementia and dementia care

In this second of 2 episodes which marks The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Lisa Loiselle talks with Laura Alfaro and Danielle Alcock who both work in Indigenous health and were involved in the Circle of Care, which is a project that addresses the needs of Indigenous caregivers of people living with dementia. Laura was the project officer at the Native Women’s Association of Canada leading the project and Danielle facilitated the talking circles during the program. Danielle has also been a caregiver to her father for the past ten years.

In part 1, Laura and Danielle laid the groundwork for understanding dementia and the caregiving role from an Indigenous perspective.

In part 2, Lisa speaks with Laura and Danielle more specifically about the Circle of Care project, the process, purpose, outcomes and challenges.

Please go to nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/30-March-CIRCLE_OF_CARE_TOOLKIT.pdf to view and download the toolkit. You may also be interested in reading other material on dementia on the NWAC website such as nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/NWAC.Eng.Bk.Dementia.Stigma.pdf

Laura Alfaro was the project lead for the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s Circle of Care project. She is a researcher with extensive experience in post-secondary, community-based, non-profit, and cross-cultural settings.

Danielle Alcock spirit name is 'Shining Water') is a member of Mnjikaning First Nation whosePhD at focused on storytelling of Indigenous female caregivers for a loved one with memory loss. Danielle was a front line provider in Indigenous health working with clients across the lifespan. and continues to work in Indigenous health focused on improving culturally safe care and supporting primary care in Southwestern Ontario.