Dementia is on the rise around the world, and health organizations in Canada, the United States, and New Zealand are increasingly responding to the urgent need – voiced by communities and practitioners – for guidance on how best to address memory loss in Indigenous communities.

Indigenous Peoples and Dementia responds to this call by bringing together, for the first time, research on three key areas of concern: prevalence, causes, and public discourse; Indigenous perspectives on care and prevention; and the culturally safe application of research to Elder care. The discussions are organized thematically and are complemented by teaching stories that impart Indigenous knowledge about memory loss and memory care.

Presenting strategies for health practice and effective collaborative research informed by Indigenous knowledge and worldviews, this book is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, students, and educators who seek a better understanding of memory loss and memory care.

Wendy Hulko is an associate professor and the Bachelor of Social Work program coordinator in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at Thompson Rivers University. Danielle Wilson is the regional director for the Owen Sound/Grey-Bruce region of the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre. Jean E. Balestrery is a licensed independent practitioner and was formerly an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Northern Arizona University.

Contributors: Melissa Blind, Carrie Bourassa, Gwen Campbell-McArthur, Linda D. Carson, Cecilia DeRose, J. Neil Henderson, Kristen Jacklin, Jessica Kent, Mere Kēpa, Kama King, Star Mahara, Suzanne MacLeod, Estella Patrick Moller, Sophie “Eqeelana Tungwenuk” Nothstine, Eric Oleson, Jessica E. Pace, Karen Pitawanakwat, Barbara Purves, Kate Ross-Hopley, Jennifer Walker, Wayne Warry, and Jean William

Lloy Wylie, assistant professor, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University:
A leap forward in understanding how health care can be provided in culturally safe ways.